Blame it on luck
by MissImaginationcull3n
Summary: Bella is a rich successful business woman. she has good friends and is happily married, or at least she thought that. until one night every thing changes she loses her money, her best friend and her so called husband and becomes a victim. she runs away with a new identity until her tue friends prove her innocent. I suck at summaries. this is my first fanfic so please R
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

I really didn't mean for all of this to happen. So what? I fell in love with a guy. Every girl has a right to do that, and it either ends with marriage or they break up; see, simple. Then why did it have to become a catastrophe when it was my turn? Why was it extremely complicated? Does this happen often or was it just me? No matter how many times I had asked myself these questions I had never found a reasonable enough answer.

I gave him my love, attention, money, and everything his heart desired. I fought everybody for him; I ignored all my friends' warnings, and told them over and over that he was trustworthy, even though my instincts were saying the opposite... but clearly it wasn't enough. I caused all this with my foolishness... and even when I tried to run away, my luck also felt the need to follow me.

And guess what? Yeah, I fell in love with another guy. Did you think I should have stayed away, seeing what happened last time? That he would dump me, blind me, or break my heart again? You were probably right.

But this time luck was on my side.

He was the one - yes, I mean the one. As in the one and only, solo corazon... that stuff. However, he apparently had very bad timing, seeing that I was in a slight bit of trouble. Yeah, as in, neck deep in it. Then I asked myself a question. And the answer was yes. (A very big, very fat, yes). What was the question, you ask...

Well, it simply was if my luck could get any worse under any circumstances.

Yup, the answer was (sadly) affirmative and could be answered without hesitation.

But this is my story.

And this is my life. So what else could the answer be?

I am Bella Swan and this is my story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: i don't own twilight **

Chapter one

"Come on, Alice," I complained for the fourth time in the last thirty seconds, "I have to go home, it's-"

"Jacob's birthday, I know," she interrupted sourly; recalling the last fifteen times I told her that. I wasn't one bit surprised about her tone, since she and my other friend, Rosalie, made it crystal clear that they didn't approve of my husband from the moment they met him. All my other friends and even Charlie, my dad, had the same opinion except Jessica Stanley.

Jess was my best friend since I was in New York City, and she's also the manager assistant in my family and my company. I tell her all my secrets and she was the first one to know that Jacob proposed to me. Being her, she squealed and bought dinner for the both of us, gushing about how happy she was for me. I didn't mind, because I was used to her getting carried away sometimes. She was my maid of honor in the wedding, even though Alice was the one who planned it. I just couldn't see anyone else holding the position except her.

Thinking of Alice brought me back to reality. "Alice, please, I really need to go. We can arrange another time to go shopping but just... please." I repeated desperately, trying to negotiate with my shopaholic best friend.

"Fine, but it will be a whole weekend shopping trip and without any whining! Am I making myself clear?" she stared at me firmly, challenging me to argue with her. I sighed, knowing that this offer was the best I was going to get from Alice. "I don't know why you care for this asshole," she snipped while we were leaving the mall and heading to her yellow Porsche. "He totally doesn't deserve you."

"Because I love him and he loves me, easy," I told her, disregarding her disrespectful comment. She didn't respond, like she usually does when l said something like this. She sighed, and she was about to say something when she realized we had reached her car. Alice put our bags in the back seat and climbed in the driver's seat. I was already in the passenger and putting my seat belt, when she started talking.

"Bella, you know I love you, right?" she asked me calmly, which was weird for Alice since she was always hyper and energetic. Her words surprised me.

"Of course, why are you asking?" I responded, the confusion I was feeling clear in my tone and face.

"I just feel like something bad is going to happen." she exhaled heavily, looking ahead and avoiding my eyes. Oh. Alice and her weird feelings again. To be fair, sometimes her feelings actually come true, but not always. But whenever they do it was extremely creepy.

"Alice, is this about Jacob again? Because you know all your feelings about him didn't come true. I wish you and Rose would just accept him, it's been too long." I told her sternly, wishing for once that she would believe me and accept Jacob like I had accepted Jasper as her boyfriend.

I met Jacob in my last year of college. I was instantly attracted to him, with his tall form, tan skin, and dark, captivating eyes. I didn't believe my ears when he asked me on a date. Me? Plain Jane Bella with my boring brown hair and flat brown eyes? I didn't think about my answer, afraid that I wouldn't get another chance. I agreed without any hesitation. The date was absolutely magical. He took me to an Italian restaurant, my favorite, and we talked all night about everything. He was funny, witty and smart. I fell for him instantly.

In short, he was perfect.

By the end of the night, he drove me to my apartment and walked me to my door. And then... he kissed me. The kiss was… amazing. Words failed to describe it. I didn't mind that that was literally the first time I talked to him. It wasn't supposed to go that fast that soon... but I loved it. Every bit of it.

Since that date we became attached at the hip. He proposed eight months later and I said... yes.

All my friends except Jessica were furious at me but they eventually accepted my decision... or, at least, pretended to accept it for my sake.

My mother was another story …

"Bells, we are here," Alice's voice interrupted my musing.

"Thanks, Al, love you!" I shouted after her as I slip out of the car before I turn and jog into my house.

"Love you, too!" I heard her call back while I opened the door to our - Jacob and I's - house. I bought it after Jacob and I got married, because Jacob wasn't exactly rich like my family and I. I didn't mind at all, for as long as we loved each other nothing else mattered...

Right?

"Honey, are you home?" I cupped my hands around my mouth to magnify the sound, just to check that he wasn't home. I needed some time to prepare his surprise for him. When no one answered, I rushed to our room and put threw bags on the bed. I didn't bother opening the closet since I had already prepared my clothes and accessories. I decided to prepare dinner myself, before I did anything else. Sticking to the plan I made a second ago, I went down to the kitchen to start on the food, remembering all his favorites.

Even though I was rich and could afford a cook, I cooked by myself because I simply enjoyed it. That's why the kitchen was my favorite place in the house. It was also comfortable to be in because of the bright colors that covered its walls. After I finished cooking, I rinsed my hands of and went to prepare the kitchen table. After I made sure that everything was like I wanted, I went to my room to get ready.

I changed into the new dress I bought with Alice today; it was a deep red dress that fitted my body perfectly. I posed dramatically in the mirror before putting some mascara and black eyeliner on. Apparently, according to Alice, they brought out my eyes. The red lip gloss I applied after gave the illusion of fuller lips, something Jacob would like. Blush colored my pale face, contrasting with my doe brown eyes. The next half hour was spent straightening my hair and pinning it up in a professional way.

When I finally looked at the mirror, I almost found myself pretty, which was an accomplishment, if you were me. My chocolate brown hair, if I actually spent the time to do it like today, would be pretty, with its natural gloss and deep color. But most times it was just messy and pulled back into a sloppy bun that left stray, tangled curls dangling carelessly in my face. My skin, my god, was literally so pale it was white. My eyes were fair enough... if you lay it heavy on mascara, eye shadow and liner, that is. They were a flat coffee brown that, most times, held a faraway, dreamy look. As you could see, I was not what you would call 'beautiful', 'hot', or 'cute' at all.

So, happy with my appearance, I swept over to the living room and lounged on the couch, reading my favorite book and listening to Debussy for four hours.

Jacob was late, and I was very worried. Alice's words came uninvited in the front of my mind, was she right? I decided to call Jessica... maybe she knew where Jacob was. I dialed her number but it went straight to voice mail. I was starting to dial Alice's number when I heard the door knock, I rushed to the door thinking that it was Jacob, but then I remembered that he had his keys. Worry started to get the best of me, but I kept going. I reached the door and slowly opened it. In the porch stood a police officer, I was too scared to ask him about the reason he was here.

"Mrs. Bella Black?" he asked, face and voice very serious. I gulped.

"Yes?" I answered, my voice dry with dread.

"Can you please come with me?" he told me briskly, and my eyes widened.

"Why?" I inquired, confused since I had heard police officers say that on many movies and TV shows.

"You are required under the charge of fraud and theft." he informed me patiently.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight**

Chapter two

It took for my brain a couple of seconds to register the words that the police officer had just said, but even then I could not make myself believe them. I felt like laughing, not that what he said was by any means funny, but the prospect of me doing either fraud or stealing was downright hilarious. I was the worst liar ever in the history of the universe, because no matter how hard I tried to lie, no one believed me.

So here I was standing in front of a police officer who was now looking at like me like I am insane. I didn't fault him at all to him I must look insane, standing motionless my mouth open and my eyes so wide. Maybe he would take me to the mad house and not jail after all.

"Mrs. Black, are you alright?" he asked, 'concerned'. I shook my head, and cleared my throat trying to find my lost voice.

"E-E-Excuse me, but you must be mistaken. It can't be me you are talking about." I protested, my voice shaky.

"No, ma'am, this is the address and you have already confirmed your identity," he informed me, "now I have to ask you to go with me to the police station." I looked at myself and found that I was still in the dress, much to my chagrin.

"Well, can you at least give me five minutes to change?" I questioned, lifting my wobbling chin and gesturing at my attire.

"Of course," he answered, "Five minutes, else I'm coming in."

I didn't bother to invite him in, because he would come in anyways; instead I ran up the stairs to my room and closed the door after me. My legs finally gave out and I collapsed on the floor. I couldn't go with the police officer. I was innocent and if I went with him, I would not be able to prove it. At that thought a plan formed in my head. I quickly got up and rushed to the closet. When I opened it, the reason for Jacob's lack of appearance was clear.

His side of the closet was empty... he took everything. I decided to push my suspensions to the back of my mind, because I was still on a mission here and anything can be postponed for later.

I grabbed a small suitcase from the back of the closet and started to put a pair of jeans, sweatpants and a couple of T-shirts and sweatshirts. I found my purse still on the bed; I opened it to check that my cell phone was there and to put more money in it, before quickly stuffing it in the suitcase and shutting it. It was now time for me to change, because three of my four minutes were already gone; I stripped out of my dress, but instead of it I pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans.

Opening the window, I climbed out onto the tree brunch with my suitcase and I heard a faint footsteps coming up the stairs. The police officer was calling my name; apparently he was done waiting. I instantly panicked and fell to the ground, muffling a shriek. Thankfully the distance wasn't far, so I wasn't incapacitated. I straightened myself hurriedly and started running lopsidedly, because my bag was weighing me down. When I was sure that I was far away, I looked back to find the distant figure of the police officer looking out the window and trying to find me.

I sighed in relief when he couldn't spot me before continuing to run. The next time I stopped to breathe, I was sure I was miles away from my house and completely lost. My sides and legs burned from the feat, I dropped my suitcase, relieved. I stood there trying to catch my breath, but before I could ask anyone about the name of this place. I checked my surroundings, cautiously. In the far corner to my left was a bookstore that looked like no one even acknowledged its existence. To my right was a coffee shop. It wasn't crowded but it was not deserted either. The street looked strange in my eyes as I had never been to the older parts of New York.

I rested there a couple of minutes, debating whether should I enter the coffee shop and ask for the name of this street or not, in the end I decided to go in and buy coffee and ask anyone there about the name of this street. I started heading toward the coffee when I heard my cell phone ringing. Opening my suitcase, I started searching for my purse. I quickly unzipped it and when I finally reached my cell phone, the ringing stopped. I didn't have time to feel disappointed, because the person called me a second time.

Checking the caller ID, I was relieved to find out it was Alice. "Thank God," I muttered, and flipped open the cell phone. As I pressed to answer the call, Alice's frantic voice greeted me. "Bella, Bella, where are you?" Alice interrogated her worry clear in her voice. "The police were just at my door asking about you, demanding to know where you were."

"And what did you tell them?" I responded quickly, straining to keep panic out of my voice.

"I told them that I didn't know where you were, which was true," she explained, "But then they asked when the last time I saw you was, and I told them that I dropped you at your place today after we came back from shopping around 1:45 pm."

"Alice, I need your help," My voice wobbled as I fought the urge to start sobbing. Why did this happen to me? Me, of all people?

"Honey, tell me where you are and I would come immediately," she promised softly, trying to comfort me.

"I don't know where I am, Alice, I really don't know. I only know that I'm still in NYC, thank God," I replied, wishing that I knew where I was so that I could tell her. I needed her comfort desperately.

"Can you at least describe your surroundings for me? Maybe I could recognize where you are," she suggested. The plan sounded like it was worth a try, so I began to describe the area around me to her, telling her every small detail and hoping that she would recognize the area; I was in the middle of describing the coffee shop when she interrupted me.

"Wait, what is the name of that coffee shop?" she interrupted. I quickly complied, and there was silence for a few seconds. My heart pounded. "I know where you are, just go in the coffee shop and wait for us."

"What do you mean by 'us'?" I asked, confused.

"Rose is here and I am bringing Jasper. I have a feeling that he may be helpful." she answered, her tone challenging me to argue. I felt guilty for dragging them in this, but I didn't know what else I could do. I was lost without them, literally.

"Please hurry." I pleaded, "I need you guys."

"Alright," it was quiet for a moment. "Bella, I need you to answer me truthfully."

"Of course," I responded, "Why?"

"Why are the police after you?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," I muttered, "I mean, they come to me saying that I was charged for fraud and theft."

"Bella, I love you, but... I mean, when the police are at my door telling me that my best friend committed a crime. And ran away from the cops, no less, than what could I do?"

"Wait... what?" I choked, "Are you bringing them?"

"Gods, no!" Alice sighed, "Just... be careful. And, try not to get arrested. We'll help you pull through with this. We stick together."

"Thank you," I whispered tiredly.

"For you, anything. Bye." she exhaled, and ended the call.

For half an hour I was sitting in the far corner of the coffee shop with an untouched latte in front of me; I didn't have an appetite at all, even to drink my favorite latte. I couldn't believe what had happened to me... one minute I was preparing for my husband's birthday and everything was absolutely perfect, and then suddenly Iwas running from the police, my husband left without even a single word of explanation.

Then I realized that all my friends' warning may have been true about Jacob.

And Alice's words this morning...

"Here you are" Alice's voice interrupted my musing, speak of the devil. I looked at her to find Rose and Jasper following behind her worry and concern all over their faces. From the outside anyone who saw Rose and Jasper would say that they were siblings - twins even. With the same blond hair, deep blue eyes and fair skin, but the truth was far from that. She was Rose Hale and he was Jasper Whitlock. She had light blond hair and her skin was pale, while Jasper had dirty blond hair and his skin had a slight tan. Even in personality they were different. Rose was incredibly stubborn and had a temper, but Jasper was calm and collected, and he rarely got angry. But I loved them both and they always proved that they were very worthy of it.

"Shit, Bella, what's going on? Why are the police looking for you?" Rose snapped as soon as she saw me, and her words attracted a few curious stares to us.

"Shh, Rose, you don't have to let everyone in New York know." I glared at her.

"Well, could you at least tell us what the heck is going on?" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"I don't know, all I know that I am accused of fraud and theft and that apparently Jacob is gone," I recapped, and Alice's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What do you mean by 'gone'?" Alice inquired, and I grimaced.

"Gone, Alice, like took all his clothes and passport and left!" I responded harshly, feeling a pang in my chest. I heard Rose and Alice curse under their breath.

"Bella, can you explain?" Jasper asked, speaking for the first time since they arrived.

I took a deep breath and started to tell them everything that happened to me since Alice dropped at my house me this afternoon. Jasper was the first one to speak after I had finished.

"If you would excuse me, I have an important phone call to make." he stated smoothly, looking thoughtful. Jasper went outside for a couple of minutes, looking frustrated. I figured he was doing some lawyer stuff... I mean, he was my lawyer.

"Who were you talking to?" Alice asked him, as soon as he returned.

"To one of my friends in the police department." he answered, and I blanched.

"You didn't tell him where I am, right?" I asked, panicked.

"Of course not, I asked him as the lawyer of the Swan company about the reason you are wanted," he stopped, taking a deep breath then continued, "and he said that you are required because of giving worthless checks and taking a loan of 40 million Euros and the delay of the repay the loan."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight**

Chapter Three

As soon as I heard Jasper's words my mind jumped to defend me. "But I didn't do any of this things," I protested, confused, "I don't even know anything about them."

"I know, Bella, I know," he responded quietly, "you don't have to convince me."

"If you aren't the one who did it, then who do you think did?" Alice asked and I could hear the wheels in her head turn, trying to find who may have done something like that to me.

"Maybe it's Jacob," Rose put forth, angry.

"I don't think so. It has to be someone who people know that you work through him or her when you are busy, which we all know is not Jacob," Jasper disagreed.

"The two that can do that is you since you are my lawyer and…" I stopped mid sentence realizing who the other person was, but it couldn't be her, it just couldn't. She was one of my closest friends. I trusted her with my work, and treated her like a sister.

"Who, Bella, who is the other person?" Jasper asked urgently, and I closed my eyes.

"Jessica," I whispered, my mind still disbelieving to that fact. It all came together now... why she didn't answer her phone or text me back when I tried to reach her while I was waiting for Alice and the others to arrive.

"Are you sure?" he frowned.

"Yes, I'm sure," I bit out, my voice raising. "I am one hundred percent sure, she had a copy of my checkbook after all, and everyone know she was my assistant. I used to send her to get the money from the bank for any company's project, and she also had access to my account," I tried to keep my voice from wobbling.

"Well, in this case we have to…" Jasper was interrupted mid sentence by the ringing of his cellphone. He looked at the screen, probably checking the caller ID, and then answered immediately.

"Good evening, Mr. Swan," Jasper greeted the caller graciously.

"Dad," I whispered to myself.

"She's here with me," Jasper responded, looking at me.

"Bella, your father wants to talk to you," he stated, and handed me the cellphone.

"Daddy," I greeted. I felt like I was a child again who wanted to run away from the monster and hide in her daddy's embrace.

"Bells, where are you? What's going on? Why are the police looking for you?" he asked, confused and concerned no doubt

"I really don't know, dad. I am with Jasper and Alice and Rose in a coffee shop, and Jasper said something about a 40 million Euros loan. But I didn't do it, Jessica-" I stopped talking then when a sob I was suppressing broke through.

"Shh, kid, don't cry," Charlie soothed softly, "is Jacob with you?"

"N-no, he's gone" I replied, my voice shaky.

"What do you mean by gone?" he inquired, a little anger seeping into his voice.

"Like gone, left and I don't know where he is," I answered hysterically.

"Bella, hand the phone to Jasper," he ordered in a calm voice, which meant that he was beyond livid now. I sniffed and handed the cell phone to Jasper. He raised his eyebrow at me questionably.

"Charlie wants to talk to you," I answered his unspoken question.

"Mr. Swan." a pause, "No, she didn't do any of these things, we think her assistant may have done them... I know, maybe, I will do my investigations before I finally confirm my suspicions... Don't worry, Mr. Swan, Bella is in safe hands." with those words Jasper ended the phone call. Not one of us said a word, each one lost in their thoughts; the silence was thick with tension, and thankfully Rose broke it.

"I think Bella need a place to stay in for tonight," she sighed, "and I have just the place."

"Where?" Jasper asked.

"My parents old apartment," she answered, "the one they bought when I was in college"

"Then what are we doing sitting here? Come on, Bella must need her rest after such a stressful day," Alice chirped.

"What if the police came looking for me there?" I questioned, worried.

"They won't go for such extremes today," Jasper assured me, "but you would stay in that apartment for tonight only, better safe than sorry." we left after I paid for my ignored latte and went to the car. Rose rode in the driver's seat as she was the one who know the directions, Jasper took the passenger's seat beside her, and Alice stayed with me in the backseat. The entire journey Alice kept me in her arms, and kept talking to me, even though I couldn't hear what she was saying, I could tell that she was trying to comfort me as I cried.

"We're here." Rose announced as she parked the car in front of an enormous building. The building looked magnificent, and if I was not in a bad mood and feeling so much stress now, I would have looked forward to staying in such a nice place. We followed Rose as she got in the building and greeted the doorman. She entered the elevator, waited until we all got in, then pressed the eighth floor's button.

"This is the apartment," Rose informed us, gesturing at a door in the end of the hallway. When we reached the door, Rose stopped and took a pin out of her hair. She started picking the lock, and after five minutes she opened it and realized that we were all gaping at her. "What? I don't have the keys with me right now." she defended herself

I shook my head, a wry smile creeping up on my face as I entered the apartment. It was actually very nice. The living room was painted with deep, rich colors and there were paintings in every corner. The rooms were very nice, too. "So, this is the guest room," Rose declared awkwardly, as she opened the door of the third room. "It has its own bathroom and there is also everything you need in the bathroom if you wanted to take a shower or something."

I dropped my suitcase on the floor and went to sit on the king-sized bed in the corner of the room. "Thank you guys," I smiled, touched at their loyalty and friendship. I looked at the three of them, hoping that they see how truly grateful I am for their help and support.

"That's what true friends are for, Bells," Alice grinned as she came to hug me goodbye. "Rest for now. We'll see you in the morning."

"Alice is right; don't worry yourself we will take care of everything for you." Jasper said reassuringly after hugging me and going to stand beside Alice. As he was hugging her waist, I felt a bang of jealousy at the sight of them, and wondered why I couldn't have what they had.

"Take care" Rose embraced me and went out with Alice and Jasper, closing the door gently after her.

"I will bring breakfast with me, tomorrow!" I heard Alice shout from the living room before I heard the door slam. I didn't even have the energy to change, because as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep. My dreams were filled with Jacob's face and his lies, reliving every moment again with him but seeing them all in a complete different perspective.

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling exhausted and unable to go back to sleep. Deciding to take a shower and change my clothes, I took a pair of sweatpants and a blue tank top from my suitcase and entered the bathroom. Rose was right; the bathroom had everything I may even think of needing it, a new toothbrush, toothpaste, a shampoo and even a conditioner.

I stripped out of my clothes and stepped in the shower, the water warm and relaxing. But it only helped my muscles relax, my mind stayed tense, refusing any attempt of relaxation. I stepped out of the shower, toweled myself dry, and slipped into my change of clothes. I stretched and yawned, before shoving my previous outfit into my bag and perching on the bed. That's where I stayed for the remaining hours of the night. The sun was starting to rise when I finally moved, I looked outside at the landscape that over looked the building. It was beautiful in the least. There was a small garden that I didn't notice yesterday across from the building. The leaves were starting to turn golden, showing the first signs of autumn. The rising sun outlined the skyscrapers, creating a black line as rays of fine light spread behind them like wings. It was breathtaking.

Autumn used to make me depressed, as it meant that winter was near. When I was young, I used to hate winter and snow, but now I saw them differently. I saw how much beauty they both held. The sound of the door slamming brought me back to reality as fear overtook my mind and I began to panic.

"Bella, are you awake? We're here!" I sighed in relief when I heard Alice's voice ring out. "I brought breakfast with me!"

"I am awake, Alice," I answered her as I got out of the room, following her voice. "Dad!" I yelled, surprised to find him standing with Alice, Rose and Jasper in the kitchen.

"How are you now, kid?" Charlie asked.

"I'm confused and scared, dad," I answered him truthfully, voice thick with emotion. "I still can't believe what's happening."

"We are all confused like you, Bells," Dad comforted softly, but that didn't reassure me. Did someone know what the hell was going on here?

"Why did you come today, not that I mind?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confuzzlement.

"I came for two reasons," Charlie sighed, "first, to check on you, and second, because Jasper called me and said he had important news."

Upon hearing his words I looked at Jasper questionably. "Well, um, I have good news and bad news," Jasper grimaced. "The bad news is that I had known from a friend of mine that was at the airport yesterday, that Jessica and Jacob were together, but he didn't pay attention to which flight they were on."

"Oh my god! I can't believe my ears!" I wondered, disbelieving and hurt, "That's why she was always defending him and why she was the only one who approved of him."

"I know this must be hard for you, I am sorry," Jasper reassured and patting my shoulder. I clenched my teeth and balled up my fists, unquenchable anger and despair rising up in me.

"Hard? I just realized that my so-called-husband was cheating on me with my so-called-best friend and that they both are probably now enjoying themselves with the money the stole using my name and forgetting about me, the poor, poor girl they set the cops on. Yeah, that's hard. No, getting an F on a test is hard. Losing your iPod is hard. This... this is freaking... insane! What's next? Can my luck get any worse?" The tears were rushing down my face rapidly after I finished my speech; Rose and Alice were at my side in an instant hugging me and trying to comfort me.

"Here, sit," Rose ordered as she and Alice guided me toward one of the kitchen's chairs.

"This was the bad news, now, tell me the good news," I commanded shakily, after I calmed down a little.

"The good news is that I think I found a solution for one of our many problems now." Jasper cast his eyes down, emotions playing on his face.

"Which problem do you mean exactly?" I asked sarcastically. "The loan I have to pay off? My run off husband? Oh, and the police. That too."

"The problem of finding a safe place that we can hide you in." Jasper interrupted, and I looked quizzically at him.

"Really? Where?" I inquired, curious.

"You are going to hide in a small town called Forks... in Washington."

**.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I still don't own twilight **

Chapter four

"Come on, hurry up," Alice ordered both me and Jasper from her place in the new car that we had bought for our journey.

"It's not our fault that you had to put the clothes in two huge suitcases," I glared at Alice, and she flashed me a small smile.

"Seriously, Alice, I think you got a little overboard," Jasper agreed as he lifted the suitcases to put them in the car's trunk. I turned around to face Charlie and Rose. They weren't coming with us as their absence might cause suspicions and complicate things more. I didn't think we could afford to deal with any more problems or complications now.

"I am going to miss you, Bella," Rose reminded me, and she came over and hugged me tightly. "We're going to visit you after we make sure that things calmed down a bit."

"I am counting on it." I replied, hugging her back

"Take care of yourself." she ordered affectionately, and I smiled.

"You, too," I responded, and turned to Charlie.

"I'm going to miss you, Dad," I sighed, and he embraced me, patting my back.

"Me, too, kid. Now, I don't want you to worry, we are going to take care of everything for you, and things would get back to normal if not better," he promised, but I could hear the strain from holding the doubts back.

"I hope so, Dad, I really hope so," I sighed in defeat and went to get in the backseat. After Jasper made sure that everything we needed was secure, he got in the driver's seat and started the car.

"Ready?" Jasper asked turning his head to glance at me.

"As ready as I will ever be" I said looking outside the window, silently saying goodbye to New York and my old secure life, bracing myself for my unknown future. As we passed the buildings, stores and people, I begin to remember the events that led to me going to this journey.

Flashback

_"You are going to hide in a small town called Forks in Washington," Jasper declared__, and I frowned. Did that exist? Forks? Washington? Uh, what's next? Spoons, California?_

_"I never heard of such place!" Charlie exclaimed, his words mirroring my thoughts._

_"Exactly, no one will ever suspect that Bella is there!" Jasper explained__, and I bit my lip._

_"But where am I going to stay there? Do you have a house in Forks?" I asked__,__confused._

_"Not exactly, but I have a friend there that owns me a favor, I talked to her and she has no problem in hiding you at her place." Jasper__responded__, shrugging._

_"And what makes you sure that your friend won't tell the police where I am?" I__inquired __incredulously._

_"Trust me, she won't," Jasper__vowed __knowingly, "she__owes __me huge and she's not that type of person."_

_"Then when am I going to go there?" I asked, __a bit perturbed. Were we really going to ask all the people in the world for help? Really?_

_"You are not to go there until all your new papers are ready." Jasper__stated __firmly._

_"My new papers?" I exclaimed._

_"Jasper, what are you getting at?" Rose asked, brow creased in concentration._

_"Trust me, it's foolproof," he promised her, and turned to me, "Y__es, new identity, new driver's license and things like that."_

_"But these things will take time." Charlie told him, "and, like you see, we obviously don't have it."_

_"Don't worry, Mr. Swan, I have already started preparing the papers and they__should __be ready by tomorrow night. We would__probably be at Forks by then.__"_

_"I think that Bella needs new clothes for her stay at Forks, since her stay there maybe unlimited," of course Alice jumped at the first opportunity to go shopping._

_"Alice, you know I can't go with you, right?" I asked nervously._

_"As much as I want to take you with me, but I know it would be such a great risk." she sighed, disappointed._

_"Thank you!" I murmured to myself, feeling that I had finally found__a pro __for all this mess._

_The sound of Jasper's cell phone ringing startled us all. "Excuse me, I have to answer this call," Jasper__informed us, __and went to the living room to take the phone call. While Jasper was talking on his cell, I used the opportunity to eat my breakfast; I didn't realize how hungry I was until already devouring my second plate of the eggs and bacon that Alice cooked. "Okay, thank you, I appreciate it." Jasper ended the call looking incredibly frustrated._

_"It seems we have to get new special phone numbers as well," Jasper__stated, sighing._

_"What? Why?" I__interrogated, miffed._

_"Do you remember the person that told us about the reason the police__were __after you?" Jasper__inquired, and I thought back._

_"Um, not really__,__" I__admitted __sheepishly__._

_"I remember, you said he worked in the police department__,__" Rose__answered, __"but what did that have to do with this?"_

_"Well, he was the one that just called me," Jasper clarified, "he told me that all of our phone calls will be monitored from tomorrow."_

_"Oh no!" I groaned in frustration and rested my head in my hands._

_"Relax, Bella, I was going to get us all new phone numbers even if they weren't going to monitor our calls," Jasper__soothed, __trying to comfort me as always._

_"We have to go now, Bells," Charlie__stated__, hugging me awkwardly. Ha! He always felt awkward when he showed affection or expressed his feelings. __After t__hey all said their goodbyes to me and left me in this cold empty apartment with my thoughts and guilt,__was when I finally got some sleep. Go figure._

End of flashback

The next day passed in a blur, Alice came in the afternoon with lunch and what seemed a hundred bags of clothes from the mall and a big bag of toiletries, and like I said two suitcases to stuff the clothes in.

We spent the afternoon preparing everything and Rose soon came and joined us. Charlie and Jasper were the last to arrive in the new car, and of course Charlie made sure that I had everything I needed and even gave me some cash for when I needed anything there. Jasper was quick to reassure him, and told him that he took care of everything personally and that I wouldn't need anything.

"Bella, Bella?" Alice called, her voice bringing me back to the present.

"What?" I asked my voice rough from the lack of usage.

"Are you hungry? Do you want anything to drink?" she asked softly, and I shook my head.

"No, thank you, Alice," I sighed. "I think I am going to take a nap." My sleep was consisted of blackness and nothingness; it mirrored state of mind perfectly. I felt empty not like I-lost-the-love-of-my-life empty but like I-made-a-fool-of-myself-and-trusted-the-wrong-people empty. I woke up when I felt the car stop; Alice was getting out of the car by the time I found the will to open my eyes, probably to buy some snacks. I suddenly remembered a very important thing that I forgot to ask Jasper about.

"Jasper?" I asked, worried.

"Yes?" he responded, glancing at me.

"What's my cover story? People would sure wonder who I am when they see me at your friend's house." I fretted.

"Oh! I forgot that I didn't tell you that, sorry" Jasper apologized" well, your cover story is that you are a long-lost relative of her, that came to live with her after your very aged husband died suddenly, so he didn't have a will, so his children from his ex-wife took the opportunity and decided not to give you anything from his fortune, so you became almost homeless cause your parents are died and you don't know anyone but her, so you are just staying with her temporarily until you find another place to stay in that is far away from your husband's children and until you get a new job or open a project with the little money he left for you in your bank account. "

"Wow, Jasper, you should consider being a writer." I joked, and he chuckled. The door of the passenger seat opened and Alice got in holding a bottle of soda and a big bag of snacks with her.

"What are you two laughing at?" she asked, looking at us curiously.

"Nothing, darling, Bella was just pointing that I have a wild imagination." Jasper said, smiling softly at Alice and leaning to peck her lips. I turned my head to give them some privacy, a blush rising on my cheeks. Jasper started the car, and we took off again toward direction of the mysterious and unknown Forks. I was watching the passing cars and the sun from the car window, when something occurred to me that I also forget to ask Jasper about.

"Jasper, you never told me your friend's name," I stated casually.

"You never asked," he teased.

"Well then, what's her name?" I shot back, playing along.

"Who said it's a her?"

"What?"

"Okay, sheesh, Bella, it's a girl. You should have seen the look on your face, though."

"Shut up."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight**

Chapter five

I opened my eyes to find myself in my house in New York, sleeping on the couch. I shoot out of my sleep startled. Was it all a dream? I thought, and heard Jacob's laugh coming from the kitchen. I stood up and smiled, happy that I woke up from that terrible nightmare. I was heading toward the kitchen when I heard another voice. I know that voice, I thought with hatred.

I decided not to enter the kitchen, instead I decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. I tried to block any other sound and concentrate more on their voice. "I can't believe you live with this fool, baby!" Jessica exclaimed.

"She's not a fool, Jess, I am just too smart," he bragged cockily. He thinks he's smart? Overstatement of the year.

"Oh! How lucky I am to you!" Jessica said seductively, there was silence after that so I figured that this is the perfect moment for me to step in, and just like I expected, Jacob was shoving his tongue down Jessica's throat and she was moaning like the slut that she was. When Jacob finally noticed me, he pulled away from Jessica. He looked shocked at first to see me, but what happened next was not even close to what I expected. I expected him to apologize or try to deny everything and put the blame on Jessica, but he didn't do any of those things... he burst out laughing and soon Jessica followed him too.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked confusion and anger clear in my tone.

"Because you're stupid... a fool, that's why I'm laughing," Jacob insulted, "always have, always will."

"Now I'm a fool?" I inquired, incredulous, "I made you, you bastard, everything you think you own, you bought it with my money."

"Yes, a fool!" he yelled at me, "to think that I would love you for your, ha, personality?"

"What did I do to you for you to hate me so much? I gave you everything, my love, my attention, even the money you love very much!" I shouted, trying to prevent my tears that filled my eyes from falling on my cheeks and show him how truly hurt I was.

"I don't hate you, but I don't love you either." Jacob responded, laying a hand on Jessica's shoulder, "you were just perfect for my plan with your innocence and your crush on me."

"Jacob needs a real woman, Bella, not a fool," Jessica said with mock sympathy, faking a smile at me. "I know it's hard."

"I am not a fool!" I shouted the words at them, even though I was starting to believe them.

"You. Are. Stupid." she growled, "face it and wake up!"

"Wake up, Bella!" suddenly Jessica's voice turned to Jasper's.

I closed my eyes tightly, willing the image of Jacob and Jessica to disappear from my head, but Jasper's voice kept ordering me to wake up and I started to feel my shoulders shaking, I decided to open my eyes to find the reason about my shaking. Jasper was mere inches away from my face with a worried expression on his face, and I could hear Alice's worried voice shouting at Jasper and asking him about me.

"She's awake," Jasper reported in relief and I heard Alice sigh in the background, as well.

"Bella, you made us so worried!" Alice stated, "I made Jasper stop the car, and shout at you as you were not listening to any of us when we told you to wake up."

"It was a dream," I murmured to myself, relieved.

"What?" Alice asked.

"What happened? What made you so worried?" I inquired.

"You started yelling in your sleep, that you are not a fool and a few words that I couldn't understand, but I thought I heard you say Jacob and Jessica a couple of times," I internally winced when she said their names. "Was your dream about them?" Alice asked softly, coming over and helping me stand.

"More like a nightmare." I corrected sarcastically, my heart still hurting.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alice suggested affectionately.

"Not now," I told her, wiping the few tears that still lingered on my cheeks away. I looked at my surroundings, leaning against a tree. We were near the forest, and green surrounded us from ever corner. The sky was heavy with dark clouds, and it looked like it would start pouring any second. "Where are we?"

"We have arrived Forks, honey," Alice answered, "Jasper said that Leah's house is around the corner." Leah was Jasper's friend, and apparently, my host, until they found a solution for all this mess. I felt guilty, because I was the reason of this mess but I couldn't do anything to solve it.

"Then, let's go," I urged.

"Are you sure?" Jasper asked, concerned.

"Yes, let's go," I repeated. It didn't take us long to get to Leah's house. Jasper parked the car in front of the house and got out of the car to greet the figure that stood beside the driver's seat. Alice and I got out of the car at the same, eager to see the house I was going to stay in.

"Oh my God!" Alice and I exclaimed at the same time, eyes wide with shock. The house was barely standing, the water pipes were covered with rust and the house was painted with the natural color of dirt and mud.

"There is no way in hell that I am going to stay in this garbage dump!" I said distastefully, backing up.

"What's wrong with the house? If you don't like, don't stay in it," snapped an irritated voice. The owner of the voice was a woman who looked resembled a man more than a woman. Her hair was cut short, but unlike Alice's, it was messy and boyish. She wore a loose sweater and jeans, and was glaring at me.

"And who are you?" I asked, not kindly.

"I am Leah, the owner of the 'garbage dump'," she introduced herself sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"I am not surprised," I replied, coldly. Why did I hate her already?

"I see you two have already met each other," Jasper stated awkwardly, "Leah, this is Bella. She's going to stay with you for a while."

"No way!" Leah and I shouted at Jasper synchronously, and then glared at each other.

"Jasper, can I talk to you alone for a minute, please?" I said narrowing my eyes at him to let him know that he's in big trouble.

"Um, sure," Jasper agreed hesitantly. Alice made eye-contact with me, sending me a message. I interpreted it to be this: I understand you being mad at him, but if you hurt him I will seriously cut off your head.

Or something along that line. After I was sure that we were completely out of Leah's ear shot, I clenched my teeth and growled, "There is no freaking way that I am going to stay in that… that place with this thing living in it. You have to find another place for me in this instant."

"Bella, finding another place for you is not as easy as you think," Jasper said calmly, "it takes time and you can't simply stay in the streets until then, just try living with Leah for some time and when you are certain that it is really impossible for you to tolerate her, I will try to find another place for you. But you've barely met her. Get to know her and see if you still want to go."

"Fine," I sighed in defeat.

"Thank you, Bella. I'm going to get your bags in the house," Jasper exhaled, relieved. Jasper entered the house and Leah and Alice followed him. I took a deep breath and went toward the house, if anything it looked even more horrible in the inside than the outside. Leah guided Jasper who was carrying the suitcases up the stairs to an empty room.

"You can leave the bags here," she ordered Jasper, and turned to me. "This is your room, Your Majesty." The room was filled dust, and there were cobwebs in the corners. However, all the dirt and filth in this room didn't hold a candle next to the photograph that was hanging above the bed post. It was a photograph of an old hairy man, and it looked downright frightening.

"What is that thing?" I asked, disgusted, and pointed at the offensive photo.

"That thing is my great-grandfather, princess," she said glaring at me.

"There is no way that I am going to sleep in that bed with this thing hanging above my head," I set my jaw forward, incredulous. Who wanted a big hairy man watching over them as they slept?

"Look, princess, you can offend me as much as you want, but I am not moving this photo from here, especially for you!" she snarled angrily, looking like she wanted to rip my head off. I knew that I may sound like a spoiled bitch to her, but I was tired and stressed, and this was such a big change for me. I went from living in the finest places in the world to live in this barely standing house.

"Well, can she at least cover it?" Jasper stepped in, trying to prevent a fight.

"Err, I guess, she can," she relented reluctantly, her tone calm when she spoke with Jasper. I could tell from the way she spoke to him and looked at him that she respected him a lot. Leah left then, leaving me with Alice and Jasper. We all stayed silent for a couple of minutes, because we knew that it was goodbye. Surprisingly, Alice was the first one to break the silence.

"This isn't goodbye, Bells," Alice promised while hugging me "We will all come to visit you after things get calmer with the police."

"I miss you already, Alice," I stated, hugging her small frame tightly.

"Me, too," she agreed, "take care of yourself for all of us!"

Alice released me and went to stand beside Jasper at the door way. "Take care of yourself, Bella," he smiled, "and don't worry yourself too much."

Then they left quietly. I watched them from my new bedroom window and waved them goodbye. A sob escaped my lips when I saw them pull out of the driveway. It was so hard seeing them leave, it made me feel alone and dejected.

"Ahem," I heard someone clear their throat, probably Leah.

"What?" I asked. I know I was being rude, but I was so sad and angry now to bother with politeness.

"Dinner is ready, if you want to join me," she offered, not impolitely. I blinked.

"No, thank you," I declined, and sighed, "I think I am going to take a shower and go to sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Oh, okay then, the bathroom is in the end of the hallway," she informed me, and left. I took my bag of toiletries and pajamas and made my way to the bathroom. I didn't stay for a long time in the shower, I was eager to go to bed and just have some sleep. When I finished getting ready for bed, I got out of the bathroom and went to the room (I still have a hard time calling it mine). Covering the terrible photo with my towel, I lounged on the bed and waited for sleep to claim me, impatiently. But before I completely surrendered to sleep I heard a faint soft voice inside me saying something that gave me some hope.

It's going to be alright, everything is going to be better from now on, you'll see.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight**

Chapter six

The sound of rain pouring on glass woke me up. I almost had a heart attack when I opened my eyes and looked around me. I was in a strange unfamiliar room. My heart pounded, and I was about to scream for help, when the events of last night came back to me. I started to remember where I was, but most importantly, why I was in this room. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to calm my furiously beating heart. When I thought that I was calm enough, I quickly got out of bed and gripped my bag of toiletries, and made my way toward the bathroom jumpily.

I knocked twice on the bathroom door to make sure that Leah isn't using the bathroom, when I got no answer; I opened the door and got in. After doing most of my morning's routine; brushing my teeth and combing my hair and washing my face to erase any evidence of the tears that accompanied me to sleep last night, I got out of the bathroom and headed down stairs toward the smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen.

"Good morning," I greeted Leah politely as I took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Breakfast is almost ready," she stated shortly. I sighed; she must be upset from me because of my rude behavior last night.

"Look, Leah, I owe you an apology," I relented, looking at everything except at her, "I was very rude yesterday toward you and I offended you, but you must know that I have been through a lot and this is such a huge change for me, I hope you can accept my apology."

Leah didn't say for a couple of minutes, so I decided to glance at her. She was smiling and her eyes twinkled with amusement. "Why do you look amused?" I frowned, I went over my apology trying to find something funny or amusing in it, but found none. Leah came over holding two plates of pancakes and took the opposite chair from mine, facing me.

"I'm amused for two reasons: first, because no one had ever apologized to me before, and second, because I didn't know you are capable of apologizing, princess," she explained, and something in her words caught my attention.

"What do you mean by 'no one had ever apologized to me'?" I asked, confused.

"No one has ever found the need to apologize to me," she sighed, a hint of sadness detectable in her voice, "they think it's unnecessary." I didn't press the subject anymore as she seemed uncomfortable talking about it. I focused instead on my breakfast. We ate our breakfast in silence, but that didn't bother me much. I wasn't a talky kind of person.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Leah exclaimed, as she got up to put her plate in the sink, "Jasper called me and said that he called you and you didn't answer."

"He must have called when I was asleep, because I didn't hear my cell phone," I reasoned.

"Well, he told to tell you to call him when you wake up," she reiterated casually, "he said it is very important news." Upon hearing that I got up and held my plate and went to put it in the sink. I hurried up stairs to call Jasper, eager to find out what the important news was. I dialed Jasper's number, and heard him answer immediately.

"Bella, I have tried to reach you, thank God that you called," Jasper rushed in one breath

"Hello to you, too, Jazzy," I greeted sarcastically, "Leah told me you wanted to tell me something very important, right?"

"Ah um, right." He agreed nervously. He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes and I could feel the nervousness coming out in waves from him, even from the phone.

"Jasper, are you still there?" I asked, impatient.

"Bella, I need you to tell me something," Jasper told me seriously.

"Yes?" I inquired hesitantly.

"Did Jessica or Jacob ever make you sign papers without reading it?" he asked, and I thought back, racking my brain.

"Maybe. I used to make Jessica read them for me when I was getting late at work," I answered, "why are you asking?"

"Bella, I think Jessica made you sign your divorce papers," he replied, with a forced calm.

"What? Are you serious?" I asked, shocked. Disbelief coursed through me, melding into anger, and finally, to acceptance.

"Yes. I'm sorry," he apologized softly.

"Thank God!" I laughed.

"You're laughing!" he stated, in a did-you-lost-your-mind tone

"Yes, I'm laughing!" I confirmed, "Do you think that I would be depressed to know that I am no longer married to that bastard?"

"I'm just surprised," Jasper said.

"Enough talking about my ex-husband," man, that word has a nice ring to it, "how is everybody? And is there anything new in my case?"

"Everybody is fine and we all miss you," he answered, "and unfortunately there isn't anything new in your case. The police are still looking for you, but I'm trying to prove that you are a victim of a plot made by your ex and your assistant to steal all your money and the loan under your name."

We talked for a bit about how he is going to prove that, and I asked him about dad and Alice and Rose again and told him to tell them all how much I missed them already, he ended the call with a promise to call me again if anything new occurred. When I went back down stairs, I found Leah sitting in the living room, looking like she was waiting for me, so that she could go.

"Finally! What took you so long!" she exclaimed.

"Jasper was just telling me that I got a divorce," I replied, my voice a little sad which surprised me. Wasn't I just laughing about it with Jasper?

"Oh! I am sorry!" sympathy and pity were clear in her words, "but if he is why you're running away, then why do you sound sad?"

"I am not," she raised her eyebrows at my words disbelievingly, "really, I am just... I feel lost, shocked. I just want to know why, why did he do all this? For money... he didn't have to do all this for money. If he had asked me, I would have given all my money to him, and I wouldn't care. Well at least I now know not to doubt my friends' opinion on the men I am dating."

Leah waited patiently for me to say everything I wanted and listened without judging, which warmed my heart a little toward her. "Well, I have to go now, or I will be late for work," she stated as she stood from her sitting position on the couch.

"You are going to leave me alone in this place?" I asked, terrified of the prospect of staying alone in an unfamiliar place.

"Slow down there, princess, Jasper said that I am only going to hide you not babysit you." she rolled her eyes, "I'm going now. If you get hungry, there is food in the fridge. Make yourself at home."

I thought that she had went out, so I got up to try to find something to do instead of just sitting here. I found her standing behind me. I stifled a shriek and glared at her.

"You scared the shit out of me, what's wrong with you?" I yelled as I tried to calm my erratic breathing.

"I just forgot to tell you something." She explained, too innocently

"What?" I asked, irritated.

"Be careful of Mrs. Newton." She whispered, looking around her, which made me question her sanity. Thank you Jasper. You are making me stay in the house owned by a lunatic.

"Why?" I asked sarcastically, vexed.

"Just be careful," she said seriously, and I mentally rolled my eyes. She started to head toward the door again, but this time I followed her to make sure that she has really gone. After I saw her leave, I went to the living room and turned on the T.V. I searched for anything interesting to watch, but when I found none, I got up and went to my room, starting to unpack a few of my things. I didn't think the closet could take all my clothes (thanks to Alice), so I unpacked one bag only. I gripped my favorite book Wuthering Heights, which I refused to leave New York without.

I headed toward the living room and made my way over to the couch. It wasn't super comfortable but it was enough for now. I was so engrossed in reading, that when I heard the door knock, I fell off the couch. "Coming!" I yelled as I got up from the floor, rubbing my back. I opened the door to find a blond woman who looked in her early sixties, but tried to cover her age with makeup.

"How can I help you?" I asked, politely.

"Oh! Hello there, I am Mrs. Newton; your neighbor. You must be Leah's guest that arrived yesterday, I saw your car when it arrived with your two friends, are you coming to visit Leah?" she gushed. I could tell from her tone and the way she kept trying to catch glimpses inside the house that she was a nosy woman and all she wanted was fresh gossip, so I decided to give her just that.

"I am Isabella, Bella, Clearwater, Leah's cousin," I lied, smiling and shaking her hand. "I came to stay with Leah for some time."

"But, honey, you don't look like Leah at all, or even talk like her!" she exclaimed, trying to fish for more information.

"Oh! That's because I was living in London for most of my life and I even married an Englishman," I fibbed, inventing the part of living in London as an escape from her suspicions and noisy questions.

"And why did you left London?" she interrogated. My God, woman, this isn't a interview, I thought, perturbed. I decided to tell her my full cover story; she stood and listened to every word I said, probably excited about the prospect of gossip and spreading my story in the entire town.

"Oh, you poor thing, I lost my husband, too. But I hope you enjoy your stay at Forks, and if you want anything, anything at all, just knock on that door and I will help you," she offered after I telling her my story. The door she gestured at was at the house next to Leah's house, she was way too close to me for my liking. "Well, good-bye for now, see you around," her hurried goodbye proved that I was right about her: she only wanted gossip.

I closed the door, and went back to the living room, resuming my reading. Now I saw why Leah had warned me from Mrs. Newton. I had a feeling that today wouldn't be the quiet peaceful day I imagined. After about an hour from Mrs. Newton visit, I begin to get comfortable and forget my worries about what would she say to people about me, but that didn't last for long when I heard the door knock. I took a deep breath trying to brace myself for the events that followed opening that door, and went to answer the constant knocking.

On the porch stood two people: a woman and a man. The woman was a blonde and looked like she was in her mid-thirties. She was pretty, but she wore too much makeup that hid her beautiful features. The man looked so much older than her that I guessed he might be her father, but he didn't look like her at all. He was short and round with fat, and his barely there hair was combed backwards and looked greasy, practically dripping with gel.

"Hello, we are the Crowley's," she introduced herself and the man, who nodded his head politely, "we heard your story from Mrs. Newton, and it literally broke our hearts, so we came to welcome you in Forks and tell you that we all hope that you enjoy your stay here."

"Thank you, it's so nice of you to come and bring your father with you," I thanked them politely, but apparently something in my words upset her as she gave me a dirty look after I finished.

"My father?" she exclaimed loudly, "he's my husband! Come in, Tyler, let's go from here!" I blushed furiously, about to apologize.

"Oh! Lauren, Babe, don't be angry she didn't know," he soothed, but his eyes kept glancing at me in a strange creepy way. It look like he was checking me out. I suppressed a shudder at that, and closed my mouth. "Let's go!" she yelled at him, finality in her tone.

I closed the door after them; I stood there for a moment trying to understand what just happened. That was weird, I thought, shrugging. I started to the living room, but there was a knock before I came within twenty feet of it. I was now beyond annoyed. Will the knocking on the door never stop until I see the whole town? I thought to myself, miffed. I opened the door to find the most handsome man on earth standing on the porch. The mess of bronze hair on his head made him look even more handsome, the serious expression on his face only highlighted his strong features, and his eyes... his eyes were the most gorgeous emerald-green. His pale skin and lean figure only made them stand out more.

I realized then that I had been gaping at him for the last-minute or so. I blushed and tried to find the ability to form any coherent words, and not look like a complete idiot in front of this gorgeous stranger.

"Umm, y-yeah?" smooth, Bella, smooth. Are you always this coherent?

"Edward Cullen, investigator in Forks police department..." he continued but I couldn't hear any other word he said, for he was surely here to take me to jail. It was over. I felt my head spinning and my vision get blurry. I couldn't focus. I started to feel my legs giving out, so I closed my eyes and waited for the impact of my body on the floor, but it never came. But blackness welcomed me instead.


	8. Chapter 8

**Declaimer: I don't own twilight**

Chapter seven

I was unable to open my eyes, even though I could hear people talking around me and saying my name trying to wake me up. But the clearest voice to my ears was a velvet soft voice that kept saying my name over and over... deja vu much?

"Miss Bella, Miss, wake up." the velvet voice called, "Does she have health issues? I think we need to take her to the hospital."

"No, no, no, she's just weak from travelling and stress," a familiar voice protested. I couldn't let them take me to the hospital, I hated hospitals with a passion. I tried to master what little power was left in me so I could open my I opened my eyes, I was greeted by emerald-green pools filled with worry gazing at me.

"Bella, you made me so worried!" the familiar voice from earlier said which I recognized to be Leah, "I almost had a heart attack, when Mrs. Newton called me and told me you fainted, and that investigator Cullen was here with you."

"I am fine," I informed her in a hushed shaky voice, though I was miles away from being fine. I could still feel my heart beating erratically in my chest, and my head was still spinning and felt heavy.

"I'm so sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am," investigator Cullen apologized sincerely, "I only wanted to know if Leah was at home or went to work."

I almost laughed out loud in relief when he said that he only came to ask about Leah. His eyes were filled with so much kindness and concern as he looked at me, which surprised me because I was supposed to be a stranger to him. "I am really fine, you don't have to worry." I repeated, smiling softly at him, trying to erase the frown from his gorgeous face that showed how truly worried he is. I knew my attempt succeeded, when a beautiful crooked smile lit his face. I flushed and avoided his gaze.

"Well, since Bella is fine, I think you all should go home, to let her rest," he ordered the people in a commanding tone of voice. I then realized that we weren't alone. My blush increased a tenfold as I looked at the people gathered in the living room, probably the whole town. I didn't like being the center of attention.

"Leah, can I have a word with you privately?" Edward asked Leah after everybody filed out.

"Um, sure, investigator, follow me," she agreed nervously and headed toward the kitchen, and Edward followed her. I could hear murmurs coming from the kitchen, but I didn't hear their actual words. Leah and Edward weren't gone for long, when they came back, Leah looked pissed and he had that same serious expression that was on his face when I opened the door for him.

"Thank you, investigator, I will tell him." Leah frowned thoughtfully as she shook his hand.

"No problem," he said, he turned to me and smiled apologetically, "again, I am very sorry about earlier."

"Stop apologizing, investigator, I already told you, I'm fine," I repeated softly, heart fluttering.

"Edward," when he saw the confused look on my face, he continued, "you can call me Edward. It's my name after all." I blushed and smiled at him happily. "Well, I have to go," he announced as he went to open the door, "if you need anything, just call the station and ask about me."

"Bye, investigator," Leah responded as she closed the door after him, then she turned to look at me, smiling evilly. I fidgeted nervously.

"What?" I snapped. I did not like that look.

"It seems that investigator Cullen has a crush on our princess," She teased, and my cheeks flushed red. My God, I would have to wear a lot of concealer to cover up all of this. Since when did I blush this much?

"You're being silly, he's just feeling guilty." I denied, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Yeah, right," she snorted, "'Edward, you can call me Edward.'" I chose to ignore her and headed toward the kitchen. I was actually quite hungry.

"Is there anything ready for dinner?" I asked, "I'm hungry"

"No, Your Majesty, but your personal cook will prepare a fine meal for you in no time, if you forgave her thoughtlessness." She bowed sarcastically.

"It's princess," I corrected, sticking my nose into the air.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Whichever you want, you are still a spoiled brat."

"Ha ha, you are going to kill me with your extraordinary humor," I narrowed my eyes. After a couple of moments of silence, I remembered something that had flamed my curiosity earlier, so I decided to ask Leah about it.

"Leah?" I asked to bring her attention to me and not the stove; she hummed in response so I decided to continue, "why was Edward looking for you?" she tensed when she heard my question.

"He was asking me to tell him where my ex-boyfriend Sam Uley and his gang were, because he suspected that they were involved with the robbery of Mrs. Mason's store."

"What did you tell him?" I inquired.

"I told him I didn't know where they are, but if I saw one of them I will tell them that he is looking for them." she shrugged.

"And was Mrs. Mason hurt?" I interrogated, concerned.

"No, she's fine. She is an old kind woman, she was thinking of offering the store for renting anyway. She's too old and tired to manage it like old days, she says," she assured me. I sighed in relief. After we ate dinner, I headed to the bathroom to start getting ready for bed. I quickly brushed my teeth and got out of the bathroom, heading to my room with the creepy, hairy dude. The next morning was like yesterday's with the exception of Jasper's call: I ate breakfast with Leah, and then she went to get dressed for work and left me with nothing to do, but to resume reading Wuthering Heights.

I was about to die of boredom, so I was thinking of plausible ways to keep me otherwise occupied for the rest of my stay when I heard the door knock. As I opened the door, I found a blond guy that was a male version of Mrs. Newton but looked to be around my age. He smirked when he saw me and leaned against the door frame.

"Hi, I'm Mike Newton, Mrs. Newton's son," he purred, in what he thought was a seducing voice. He was extremely wrong. I held back a gag as I took him in distastefully. Yup. He was handsome, a player, and clearly a person who hooked up with random pretty girls on the street. Just as I though... not my type.

"I'm Bella Clearwater, Leah's cousin," I introduced, trying to keep my tone polite, but I couldn't hold back the irritation that I was feeling.

"I didn't know that Leah had such a beautiful cousin." he licked his lips, and leaned closer toward me, but I stepped back in time.

"What do you want, Mike?" I growled, making no effort whatsoever at hiding my irritation this time.

"I want to help you relax." he replied evenly, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Thank you, Mike, but I don't need your help," I huffed, turning away, perturbed. Seriously? First a boy who I married dumped me, then a random, stalker guy wants to take his place? What the heck?

"Are you sure?" he pouted, thinking he was cute.

"Yes, I'm sure!" I snapped, wanting him to just leave.

"I'm just asking, you know may regret it later," he smirked knowingly. I gritted my teeth. Would this guy just take a hint?

"Again, thank you, I do not need your help" I said through clenched teeth, fighting the urge to yell at him.

"I am going to go, then," he sighed slowly, thinking that I may tell him to stay. I didn't give him the chance to say anything more, I slammed the door in his face and ran toward the living room, but I heard the door knock again. My irritation spiked. That's it! I'm going to give that boy a piece of my mind, I thought as I stalked toward the door angrily.

"I said I don't need your damn help," I yelled as I yanked the door open, but the surprise was that it wasn't Mike that was there... it was Edward. I blushed, looking down. "Uh... I'm sorry?" the apology came out as a question, and I mentally kicked myself.

"I am pretty sure I didn't offer it, yet," he raised his eyebrows, amused and shocked at my display.

"I'm so sorry, I thought it was someone else that was just irritating me to death." I apologized, smiling sheepishly at him.

"Can you give me the honor of knowing who that person is?" he teased, and I narrowed my eyes as I thought about Mike.

"Mike Newton," I all but snarled. And yelled. And shot. And... well, you get the point. But seriously, those are on my bucket list.

"Will it make you feel better if I arrest him?" he asked in a very serious tone, but there was a light in his eyes that told me he was joking.

"Maybe," I laughed, and he responded in like.

"What brought you here, investigator?" I asked after my laughs stopped.

"I came to check that you were okay. Despite your reassurances yesterday that you were fine, I still feel guilty," he explained, running his hand through his hair which distracted me. His hair looked so soft and fluffy

"Bella, earth to Bella," he called, and I flushed, averting my gaze.

"Sorry, I got distracted," I told him, but skipped the reason of the distraction. I doubt he needed to know that I like his hair... right? At least it wasn't dripping with gel like Mr. Crowley's. I suppressed a shudder at the thought of the man. My God, he was almost as bad as the picture in my bedroom.

"I was saying that I didn't welcome you to in Forks properly," he repeated, and I furrowed my brow.

"Wait, who told you I just moved?" I asked, because I was sure Leah didn't tell him.

"Mrs. Newton told the entire town." He shrugged like it was no big deal. I leaned against the doorway in shock.

"Oh. My. God." I groaned. "So let's say if I bought a cat, the whole world would know it?"

"You'll get used to it. Telling Mrs. Newton something is like posting it on a worldwide newspaper," he said sympathetically, and I shot him a look. I realized then that we were talking in the door way and I didn't invite him in.

"I'm so sorry, how rude of me, do you want to come in?" I exclaimed sheepishly, backing up.

"Yes," he smirked, "I was wondering when you'd remember." My cheeks burned as he walked by me.

"Well excuse me," I muttered, "Whom was inviting whom in? I should kick you out!" I snickered as I entered the empty living room, "Or, I could steal your id and arrest you."

"If you do something like that I'll have to arrest you," a voice by my ear made me jump. I whirled around, hand on my heart. "And we wouldn't like that."

"What the heck?" I snapped, "Was that necessary?"

"You were threatening to arrest me," his face was serious but his eyes twinkled. His eyes... "It's self defense." I huffed in annoyance before flopping on the couch, motioning for him to sit on the chair.

"So..." I began, at loss for words.

"What? No tea?" he teased, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Twenty questions?" I proposed.

"Uh... and that is?" Edward cocked his head, looking confuzzled. I stifled a laugh.

"Oh, rich!" I chuckled, "How can you not know what twenty questions is?" at the look he gave me I quickly attempted to smother my laughter. "Well, student, twenty questions is basically, we each ask each other... well, twenty questions. Taking turns of course."

"And I suppose we must answer truthfully," he sighed.

"'I suppose,'" I mimicked sarcastically, teasing him. "No freaking duh! What would be the fun in lying?"

"My turn?" he asked, disregarding my previous statement.

"Fire away," I answered.

"Favorite color?" he questioned.

"Uh... don't have one? I mean... I like blue a lot, and brown, and I'm sick of green." I gestured outside. "I mean, left turn green, right turn green, heck, the traffic light green! Even Leah' s food is sometimes green!"

"Unusual," he observed. "Brown?"

"My turn," I said smugly. "Family?"

His mouth set. "My Step-Father works in a hospital, my mom stays at home. My grandmother, as you know." I smiled.

"Sport?"

"Oh, that's easy, baseball." For the next hour it was the same. I learned that his favorite animal was a cougar and he had gotten the flu before; his favorite color was gold, he liked classical music and Debussy, and he had lived in Forks since he was thirteen ; he preferred rain over sun, he was extremely fast, he could read people like books, he liked fruit punch and heh, sparkly things; he wasn't religious, he liked to hunt, his favorite number was seventeen, and he didn't have a favorite book or movie; his favorite mythical creature was a vampire, he was afraid of heights, he loved popcorn, and he absolutely hated garlic.

"I have to go now, see you around, Bella," he told me politely, flashing his crooked smile at me as I followed him to the door. My knees went weak, and my heart raced as I watched him pull out of the driveway.

"See you around, Edward," I whispered after he was long gone. Edward, I thought to myself, and grinned. Every time I thought of his smile or his eyes, I felt like laughing. I once thought that Jacob was attractive, but if he was to be compared with Edward, he wouldn't have the slightest chance of winning. But Edward would not only win by his looks, but manners too. He was kind and smart and a perfect gentleman, and he was also very funny, as I was thinking of all this, I suddenly realized something that frightened and excited me at the same time.

"Holy crap!" I gasped, "I have a crush on Edward Cullen!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight **

Chapter eight

After spending the last six days in Forks feeling bored to death I decided to do something to occupy my time, and that lucky thing was opening a store. I decided to ask Leah about Mrs. Mason's store. Maybe I could rent it. So there I was, sitting at the kitchen table feeling nervous and unsure about asking Leah.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, probably noticing my nervousness.

"No, I just want to ask you about something." I said hesitantly.

"Go ahead." she urged, her tone encouraging.

"Do you think that I could rent Mrs. Mason's store?" I asked, unsure of her reaction.

"I think it's a good idea," she paused thoughtfully, "people were starting to get suspicious about how I can support both of us financially with my small wage." I debated what she had just said and found that she was right; I was supposed to be homeless and broke after all.

"Then I think I should talk to Jasper." I realized, dreading his reaction.

"I think you should talk him, too," she agreed, turning back to cooking. But her encouraging words didn't kill my fear of his reaction. He might get angry - after all this was such a risky idea. So when Jasper picked up his phone and gave me the usual greetings, I found that my tongue could not form the words.

"Bella, is everything alright?" he asked, worried by my silence. Sure, I thought sarcastically, I'm being stalked by a pervert, my husband dumped me for another woman who used to be my best friend, my friends dumped me in a small town in the middle of nowhere named after a utensil, I have absolutely no privacy because of a nosy neighbor, I'm dying from boredom, and I'm falling in love again. Oh, right, there's also the fact that I'm being chased by the police officers. Totally fine.

"Oh yes, everything is just fine," I lied.

"Then, what?" he asked.

"Jasper, I want to rent a store in Forks," I said quickly. He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, thinking of what I had just said. I winced, thinking that he was going to yell at me.

"I don't know, Bella, this is such a risky idea," I could see him frowning.

"But Leah said that it would be a good idea," I continued, trying to reason with him, "she said that people were starting to get suspicious about how she could support us both and this would be a good idea to shut them up."

"But renting a store will need a lot of papers and besides that what are you going to sell in this so called store?" he pointed out. I hesitated before replying.

"That's why I called you, genius! And what I am going to sell is between me and Alice."

"I will do my best." He sighed reluctantly.

"Thank you, Jazz; this means the world to me! Is Alice with you?"

"No, I'm at the office now. But she is missing you like crazy and has waited for your call. She's probably with Rose right now."

"Is there anything new in the case?" I questioned before hanging up.

"Actually, yes. I was going to call you to tell you, but you called me." he answered, and my heart stopped with anticipation.

"Is it good news or bad?"

"It's in the middle of both; we found where Jessica and Jacob are staying," he continued, "they are in Switzerland,"

"So now we can contact them and face them, right?" I asked, emotionless.

"It's not that easy, Bella, but I am trying my best, believe me," he said softly.

"I'm so sorry," I exhaled shakily.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"For not listening to all your warnings about Jacob, if I hadn't been so stubborn, none of this mess would have happened," I explained, regret and guilt filling me.

"We don't blame you, Bella, it's not your fault you fell in love with the wrong guy," he comforted me, "but you better pick a better one next time." I laughed at his teasing and told him to call me if anything new occurred, and he advised me to go see the store to make sure that I like it.

"So how did it go?" Leah asked as she arrived after work.

"It went well, and I wanted to ask you if you could take me to Mrs. Mason's store so I could inspect it," I asked.

"Sure, how about going tomorrow's afternoon?" she suggested. I don't know why but her tone and smile screamed mischief and evil like she was planning something.

"That's fine with me." I replied, narrowing my eyes at her suspiciously. Something was up. I started to get ready after Leah came back from work the next day; the weather was freezing in Forks so I was practically wearing the entire closet.

"Finally, you decided to grace us with your presence," Leah said as I descended the stairs, "I am really honored, Your Majesty."

"Shut up and let's go." I said, rolling my eyes and brushing past her. "So how are we going to go to the store?"

"By foot, it's pretty close to the house." she answered as she started walking, and I followed her. We hadn't gone far when a car stopped us. The car was a shiny silver Volvo.

"Want a ride, ladies?" the driver asked, and his voice sounded familiar. I turned my head to find Edward Cullen smiling at me, when my gaze met his, his smile got wider.

"Yes, please!" Leah exclaimed so quickly that I had not time to refuse. I glared at her. Edward got out of his seat in the car and went to open the passenger door for me. I blushed and mumbled my thanks to him.

"So where are you two going?" he asked as he started the car.

"To Mrs. Mason's store," I answered, and for some reason Leah looked like she was about to burst out laughing.

"Why?" he asked, confuzzled and amused.

"I want to rent it." I said, and he arched an eyebrow.

"And what are you going to sell?" he asked, curious.

"I still don't know," I said truthfully, "I'm about to die of boredom. Why are you asking all this questions?"

"Well, you are going to rent my grandmother's store," he said casually, as if it was no big deal. When I didn't say anything, he looked at me, surprised to see my shocked expression. "No one told you?" he asked.

"No, no one told me." I glared at Leah; I guess I knew now why she was fighting laughter.

"I guess we are stuck with each other," Leah grinned, "Edward goes to visit Mrs. Mason every Thursday afternoon."

"I don't mind being stuck with the two of you," he said, but I felt that he was talking about me by the way he glanced at me. The drive to the store was short, but I didn't think that the distance between Leah's house and the store was that short if we had really gone by foot. After Edward parked the car, he got out of his seat and rushed to open the door for me.

"I think you do this on purpose." I said, blushing. He smiled crookedly.

"What do I do on purpose?" he asked innocently, but I could see the amusement in his eyes.

"Make me blush."

He leaned to whisper in my ear, "I can't help it; you look absolutely beautiful when you blush."

My blush deepened due to his words and closeness, and my mouth opened and closed.

"Edward, dear, you didn't tell me that you would bring guests with you," a woman's soft voice exclaimed, and I jolted.

"They are not guests, grandma, they came to see the store." he said, turning to his grandmother.

"Oh! Come inside then," she invited warmly. The store was fabulous, I decided as I walked in. It had such a warm feeling that attracted you to it and made you feel at ease. It wasn't a grand store, but it was perfect for what I had in mind. I talked to Mrs. Mason about the rent and the condition of the store and told her that my lawyer would take care of all the papers.

"Thank you, Mrs. Mason," I thanked her as we were about to leave.

"It's nothing, dear," she dismissed, " beside that Edward seems to like you, so I have to be nice to the woman my grandson likes."

"Gran!" Edward admonished, affronted. I turned to look at him and noticed that he was blushing. I smiled; I wasn't now the only one who blushed.

"Oh! Shut up," she said, smirking, "you know I am right, and she likes you, too!" It was now my turn to blush.

"I think we should go before, gran here, embarrass you two again," Leah said, walking out the door. Mrs. Mason turned away, leaving me and Edward looking awkwardly at each other.

"Do you want me to drive you?" he asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"No thanks," I replied, "You've done enough."

"It's fine, really," he tried again, but I shook my head. He sighed and looked at the direction his grandmother ambled away in. "She can be a lot sometimes, but she's very sweet."

"I believe you," I said, turning away and heading to Leah. Before I left the store, I looked over my shoulder and smirked. "Oh, and you look absolutely adorable when you blush."

"You really should have warned me that he was her grandson!" I hissed at Leah when we were far away from the store.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized, not sounding sorry at all, "I must have forgotten!"

"No, you hadn't. You did this to embarrass me." I told her, indignant, "don't think that I'm going to forget this!"

"Hey, I said I am sorry!" she protested. I ignored her rest of the way home. When we got home, I quickly ran upstairs and grabbed my cell phone.

"Hello," I greeted cheerfully when Alice picked up.

"Bella?" she asked.

"Who else?" I joked.

"Oh my God!" she squealed. "I miss you so much!"

"I miss you, too, Ali," I smiled, "how is everybody?"

"Everybody is fine and we all miss you!"

"Alice, did Jasper tell you about the store I want to open?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, he did," she exclaimed, "I think it's a crazy idea, but you must be bored to death where you are, and you're right, getting a job will kill anyone's suspicious."

"I need your help; I found the perfect store, but..." I stopped, nervous.

"But?" she prodded, encouraging me to continue.

"I don't know what to sell," I admitted, falling onto my bed.

"And of course you want the amazing Alice to help you find something," she teased.

"Yeah."

"Do you have something in mind?"

"Yeah. I want something different, something that's not me. You think I've gone insane, right?"

"No, I actually know what you're talking about," she denied happily, "and I also happen to know something that matches all your descriptions!"

"Really, what is it?" I asked, eager to know her brilliant idea.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight.**

Chapter nine

"I am going to kill you, Alice; I can't believe you convinced to do this." I whispered to myself as I was getting ready to go to the store for the grand opening. As of right now, I was pacing up and down, trying to figure out plausible ways to get out of it.

"Come on, Bella, we have to be there ten minutes before everybody!" Leah shouted impatiently from downstairs, "and who are you talking to? Have you finally snapped?"

"Just a second, I am almost ready." I yelled back. When we got out I was surprised to find a red truck waiting for us, I looked at Leah questionably.

"Well, I thought that your royal feet probably can't walk such a long distance." She explained sarcastically, though I could hear the softness and the tenderness in her voice that showed that she really cared. Even though Leah and I had a bad start, we were now close. I learnt that behind that tough exterior of hers is a soft, gentle and caring heart that is just afraid to get hurt. I leaned over and hugged her.

"Thank you." I whispered in her ear.

"It's nothing," she dismissed, pulling back and smiling at me. "Let's go, we are going to be late."

The sound of that truck startled me so much that I jumped and knocked my head on the ceiling. Leah laughed at that for the duration of the drive, and I in turn glared daggers at her. Now's when I really mourned the fact that you can't kill people by glaring at them. The drive to the store took longer than the last time with Edward's car, but we arrived in time, thankfully. I stood in front of the store, my lingerie store. I know it sound unbelievable even to me. I, Bella swan, will sell lingerie? Even thinking of that made me blush a thousand shades of red.

"C'mon, Bella, we have no time to waste!" Leah urged, looking like she wished I would stop staring like a fool. We got the store ready and people started to arrive around seven. The place began to feel really crowded. I couldn't see all the customers or the people who wanted to congratulate me, so Leah offered to help; I thanked her and told her that she's a life saver, but she brushed it off and laughed.

"Congratulations honey." Mrs. Newton squealed as she hugged me, "and a lingerie store, too. You're going to make us all sexy and wild."

"That's because Bella is a wild and a sexy woman, mom." I cringed when I heard this voice. Mike hadn't stopped trying to hit on me no matter what I said, and I refused him politely, rudely, I even asked Leah to beat him up, but nothing worked.

"Thanks." I said flatly, thinking that it would be impolite if I ignored him in front of his mother. She was a nice woman, just nosy and liked to gossip. I smiled at them and went to greet the other guests. The rest of the evening went in a similar fashion: people congratulated me and I stood for a couple of minutes doing small talk and playing the hostess. There were only to different events in the evening, my second encounter with Lauren and Tyler Crowley, and Edward.

I didn't spot the Crowley's until I heard Tyler's voice behind me. I stifled a shriek as I whipped around and tried not to glare at him.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you." He said smiling at me in a way that sent shivers down my spine in a very bad way. I was disgusted by him. He was married to a beautiful young woman who almost looked like his daughter and here he was trying to cheat on her. Disgusting.

"Oh, babe, you found Stella." she said faking a smile, but her eyes seemed to glare a hole through me. I didn't know why did she hated me so much. I didn't mean what I said when I first saw them as an insult, I really had thought that she was his daughter.

"Pleased to see you both have been able to come." I said politely trying to cut the tension between us.

"The feeling is mutual." She growled coldly, still glaring at me. Leah chose the perfect moment to come, she was about to ask me about something, when she noticed that we had company. She narrowed her eyes at Lauren when she saw the way she was glaring at me.

"Okay, what's wrong?" she inquired, looking at Lauren.

"Nothing." I answered quickly.

"Then why is she glaring at you like this?" she spat, anger making its way through her voice.

"This is none of your business." It wasn't me who answered Leah's question this time. Lauren answered her with venom dripping from every letter in her sentence.

"She's my cousin, bitch." Leah snarled, "It seems that the silicone in your butt affected your brain." I didn't catch the rest of their fight. I was so mortified that I ran outside to get some fresh air; it was just so suffocating inside. I heard someone shout cat fight and figured that I made the right decision. The cold air was comforting compared to the unbearable heat inside the store. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh feel of it and how it felt as it made its way to my eager lungs.

"Running from your duties?" An unforgettable velvet voice asked, curious. I smiled inwardly; I had almost thought that he wouldn't come. The thought upset me a lot.

"I'm just taking a break, I was suffocating in there." I explained, taking another deep breath. Silence invaded the space between us, but neither of us felt the need to fight it; it was comfortable and relaxing. "I thought you wouldn't come."

"Well, you know I have a very busy schedule; we are after all living in Forks. Criminals are everywhere." He joked, his eyes dancing with humor as he gazed at me. I giggled and looked at my feet, avoiding his eyes. I'd known him for a week, so why did it feel like I knew him?

"Aren't you going to see who won the fight?" he asked.

"I don't car-" I stopped, looking at him curiously, "how did you know about the fight?"

"Mrs. Newton," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Does she work as your spy or something?" I said, incredulous at the nosy woman.

"No, more like a news reporter." He chuckled, "and not to me only, the entire town." I didn't respond to his words. The silence between us returned, but this time something was different. Edward kept shifting his leg nervously and his hand seemed glued to his hair, running through it in a rhythm.

"Bella, I want to ask you something." He said nervously.

"Go ahead." I encouraged. He stared at me for a few seconds. He opened his mouth but no words came out, so he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Bell-" he was cut off by Leah when she came running to me looking worried.

"Are you alright? I am sor-" she stopped realizing that we were not alone. "Oh, hi, investigator Cullen." I rolled my eyes and ignored her, curious. What did Edward want to say to me? I glared at Leah accusingly; her bad timing was getting on my nerves.

"Hello, Leah," he greeted politely, "I think it's time for me to leave since it looks that you girls need some privacy."

"Edward!" I called after him as he walked to his car. He paused and turned to look at me, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes?" he asked.

"What did you want to ask me?" I questioned, and he shook his head.

"Oh, it's nothing," he said, "I'll tell you later, have a goodnight, Bella." Leah didn't talk until Edward was in his car and on his way.

"I think he wants to ask you on a date." She guessed confidently, positive of it. I looked at her, incredulous.

"What makes you think that?" I huffed, rolling my eyes.

"It's the way he looks at you, and you look at him the same way, too, you know," she observed thoughtfully, "and don't try to deny it."

"We barely know each other!" I exclaimed.

"What's his favorite color?" she quizzed, and I winced.

"Uh, gold," I responded, knowing where she was going with this.

"Animal?" Cougar. "Family?"Step- Father worked at hospital. Mother stayed at home. "Band?" Debussy. "iThingie?" I shot her a look. "Uh, okay, maybe not, but you get the point." I rolled my eyes and lapsed into silence.

Leah's words silenced me; I knew I have a crush on Edward, like, who wouldn't? I'm only human, but to actually do something like going on a date with him was very dangerous and full of risk. I tried to tell myself that if he asked me to a date –assuming Leah's suspicions are right- I would have enough will power to refuse. But I knew deep down that what I was trying to convince myself was bullshit. It would take just one look into his nervous, hopeful emerald eyes and I would be a lost case.

"What happened in there?" I asked breaking the silence.

"I kicked her silicone ass out from the store." She said, shrugging casually.

"You really shouldn't have done all this, I don't need enemies." I sighed wryly.

"Oh, don't worry," she dismissed, "the whole town knows she's a bitch. They all enjoy seeing her ass kicked once in a while." I snorted, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Did you at least take a picture of her face?" I asked, and she grinned.

"Maybe. Maybe not." she whistled as we went back inside. People were starting to leave. I looked at my wrist watch and noticed how late it was. I apologized to everyone when they were leaving but they mostly brushed it off and told me to have a good night. Leah and I cleaned the store and locked the door. We were very exhausted, and it was a truly tiring night. I was eager to go home and collapse on my bed, and judging by the way Leah was driving she was, too.

It seemed that as soon as we got to the house my brain activated the auto pilot. I rushed up stairs changed into my pajamas, wait for Leah to finish the bathroom, get in after her. And after finishing the bathroom I passed out on my bed. I woke up the next morning early to get ready for work, my eyelids were stubborn and refused to let go of sleeping, but I won the battle in the end after taking a shower.

"Good morning." I greeted tiredly as I entered the kitchen.

"Good morning," she chirped cheerfully, and then paused to look at me wryly, "I take it from your appearance that you still lack rest?"

"I have always known from the first time I saw you that you are the next Albert Einstein," I muttered sarcastically. "And, of course, there's me. The next Queen Elizabeth I. Off with your head!"

"I have taught you well," she grinned, wiping a non-existent tear from her cheek. We both laughed at the evidence that she had really started to rub on me. The ringing of the phone interrupted our teasing.

"I got it!" she called, rushing to answer the phone "Hello?" she smirked as she figured out who the caller was. "It's for you."

"Uh, Hello?" I said hesitantly, half-knowing who it was.

"Hello, Bella," I heard Edward greet me from the other end of the phone, "how are you?"

"I'm good... tired, but good," I said, "and you?"

"I'm fine," he paused. There was silence after that and I really didn't know what to say. I was curious about the reason he was calling me and slightly confuzzled. Why was he calling me? I tried to wait for him to tell me but I got impatient.

"Not that I mind your call, but why are you calling?" I asked, impatient.

He sighed and started to talk, "Look, Bella, I really like you: you're funny, intelligent and absolutely beautiful. I wanted to wait to ask you face to face but I couldn't find it in me. And I..." he trailed off, and I cocked my head, a smile creeping on my face.

"You what, Edward?" I inquired, excited as I figured out that Leah's words were about to come true.

"Um, uh…W-will you go out on a date with me?" he asked nervous and slightly hopeful. My heart melted and a grin broke out on my face. You would think that not looking into his eyes would give me the advantage to say no, but it seemed that not only his eyes that had power on me but his velvety voice. He sounded so hopeful, so nervous and extremely adorable. I already knew the answer to his question; after all I was a lost case when it came to Edward Cullen.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight.**

Chapter ten

Edward and I talked about the details of our date after I agreed to go with him; he asked me if Saturday suited me and I said that it was fine by me. I tried to let him tell me where were we going. But he refused and said that it was a surprise, which frustrated me and made me even more nervous. My day after that was pretty quiet; I went to the store, few customers came that day: only a sweet woman who I genuinely liked named Angela and a couple of teenage girls that were shopping for prom already.

Alice called me after I got home from work. She asked me about yesterday and I told her everything Alice's style (in great details and exaggerations). She laughed when I told hear about the fight and declared that she was going to love Leah. The entire call I felt something weird in her voice; her usual excited voice sounded even more excited. I brushed it off: Alice would always be Alice.

After hanging up with Alice, I watched some TV and ate the pizza that Leah bought on her way home from work, and then went to bed. I woke up the next morning early to go to the store; I was recently discovering these days that I wasn't much of a morning person. I prepared breakfast this morning since Leah wasn't up yet.

"Good morning." I called as I heard her sleepy footsteps enter the kitchen. She mumbled something that sounded like good morning, and went to sit on the kitchen's table.

"I really need to star-" she stopped, "holy shit, you're cooking?" I looked at her to find that she was staring at me with wide shocked eyes and her jaw ajar. She looked so...so... so hilarious. I couldn't help myself, I laughed so hard, I almost dropped on my knees. "Why are you laughing? This is serious!" she scolded, "Princess is cooking and I am not sure if it is even edible."

Her insulting words about my cooking skills silenced my laughter and I glared at her. "I love cooking very much, and the food I make is certainly edible!" I protested, indignant.

"Then why did you never cook?" She said raising her eyebrows, challenging me.

"Because you always wake up before me," I pointed out, rolling my eyes.

"Whatever, I just hope this breakfast doesn't end up with a trip to the hospital." she sighed. "I wonder if I'm sane sometimes."

"You? Sane?" I teased, and she glared at me. She shut up after tasting my breakfast and finding it delicious. She mumbled a hurried thanks, escaping my smug reaction, no doubt. I washed the dishes and headed upstairs to get ready for work. Leah had left me the truck to go to work. I started to set up the store as soon as I got there. As the day dragged by, with the amount of customers that came, I suspected that it would be a quiet, boring day just like yesterday. I was folding some clothes and putting some on hangers, my back was facing the door.

"Good morning," a velvet voice startled me, making me drop the nightgown I was folding.

"Good heavens, Edward, you scared me." I took a deep breath, putting my hand on my heart trying to prevent it from jumping out of my chest.

"I am sorry, it wasn't intentional." He apologized, smiling sheepishly; his expression was so cute and boyish that I couldn't resist smiling and blushing.

"You are forgiven." I said, avoiding his eyes. My feet looked really interesting all of a sudden. I felt his gaze at me but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. A couple of seconds went by until I felt a warm gentle hand lifting my chin up to look at him. His eyes were warm and captivating and I found myself held as prisoner in them. At the immediate thought of prison I looked away, breaking our staring contest. I cleared my throat trying to come up with something to say.

"Err… if you don't mind me asking but what are you doing in a lingerie store?" I asked trying to lighten the mood, flashing a teasing smile at him. "Do you have some special girl you want to buy something for her?"

"I don't know," he said thoughtfully, "I don't have sisters and I am sure as hell that I will not buy lingerie for my mother or grandmother. Ever."

"You don't have a special girl that you are not related to?" I asked still playing along.

"Well, there is this one girl," he said as he leaned closer so he could whisper in my ears, his breath smelled intoxicate like mint, coffee and cinnamon. "But it's still very soon for lingerie."

I almost fainted when I heard his husky voice whisper those words to me, I was about to turn my head toward his lips. I wanted to kiss him so badly but I didn't have the chance. "SURPRISE!" two very familiar female voices squealed, making Edward and I jump away from each other. I didn't think that my face had ever been that red in my life, and that's saying something. But what comforted me the most was seeing the blush that covered Edward's face, too. Aww, he was so adorable. I couldn't find it in me to understand how he could one minute be a sexy, heart stopping man and the other a five years old kid that his mom caught him stealing cookies from the cookie jar. Before I even had the chance to speak I was crushed into a bear hug by my two best friends.

"Oh, Bella, we missed you!" they harmonized, squealing.

"Guys…can't….breath." I gasped, trying to let them know that I was on the verge of suffocating.

"Sorry!" they both apologized synchronously as they released me. The three of us laughed at the absurdity of the situation. I forgot that Edward was there until I heard a throat clear which brought my attention only to him. Rose and Alice looked at him and then at me a couple of times.

"Uh umm... girls, this is investigator Edward Cullen, Edward these are my best friends and almost sisters Alice and Rosalie." I introduced them awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you, ladies," he smiled, a faint ghost of blush still haunting his cheeks. They greeted him by a simple nod and gave me a you-are-so-going-to-spill look.

"I think I better get going," he said after a couple of minutes of awkward silence, "goodbye, ladies, see you later, Bella." He looked at me and winked before heading toward his car.

"Just for your information, Bells, I approve of officer sex hair with all my heart." Alice said smirking at me.

"I TOTALLY agree with you." Rose said her gaze still on Edward as his car pull out of the store's driveway. "Is that for sale?"

"Rose!" Alice cried as I blinked at her and said incredulously: "Rosalie, are you checking him out?"

"No, I am checking his car," she said, "you know me, I am not into men; I am a car lesbian."

Her familiar joke made me smile, because I knew how true that joke was. Cars were Rose's lovers, addiction, obsession call it whatever you like, but make sure to know that the relation between cars and Rose is sacred. "I really missed you, both," I said affectionately, my voice almost broke from the amount of the emotions that I put in that statement.

"Yeah, yeah, we know, life isn't the same without us." Alice teased "but you managed to get along just fine." She said the past sentence as she got a mischief glint in her eyes and raised her eyebrows suggestively. They didn't start interrogating me right away; instead they allowed me to have a couple of seconds to arrange what I was going to say... but as I had just said, they gave me seconds.

"Soooo, care to explain why you didn't tell us about officer sex hair?" she asked the question so casually, so normally that anyone that didn't know her would think that it was indeed a normal topic, but I knew better than that. She was just sharpening her claws so she could bounce at me if she sensed the slightest hint of vulnerability. So I took a deep breath, held my head high and answered her in a very determined and sure voice, or at least I thought so.

"I forgot."

"You what? Isabella Marie Swan you are a freaking liar." She accused as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Am not!" I argued, but the tone of my voice and the movement of my hands that was flying around randomly really gave away my anxiety, "I just… I …"

She and Rose were wearing the same sympathetic and encouraging masks, trying to get the real reason behind me hiding Edward from them. "You know you can tell us everything, right?" Rose said as she patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"I guess I was -am- afraid," I sighed.

"From us?!" they both asked at the same time. I should really tell them to quiet doing that. They were starting to freak me out.

"Yeah, I was afraid you were going to judge him, or say that I wasn't ready yet or something." I said, wringing my hands nervously and avoiding their eyes. I admit that I was a bit afraid from their reaction.

"Oh, honey, we are not going to judge you or him and if you feel that this is right, then to hell with our opinions." Rose said.

"But with Jacob…." I trailed off truly confused.

"Jacob was a jackass, but we would have ignored that if you were truly happy, Bells, but you weren't." this time it was Alice who spoke.

"But I was happy with Jacob!" or so I had thought.

"No, you weren't, you settled for Jacob because he was safe and made you comfortable," she stopped for a second then continued, "and for some bizarre reason you thought that Jacob was the best man you could ever get, which is so not true. You need to see yourself clearly, Bells, you are the most beautiful, caring, faithful, smart, funny and I can keep the list going for days but in the end you still wouldn't believe me." Tears welled in my eyes by the end of Alice's speech.

"Then if I told you guys that I am going to a date with him, what would your reaction be?" I said, half-joking half-serious.

"We would tell you to keep your hands to yourself, because we are not ready to be aunts yet." Rose said seriously, and I choked.

"You are both incorrigible." I smiled, shaking my head at their stupidity but secretly thinking that I was truly blessed to have such good friends. After the emotional moment pass, I suddenly remember that I didn't know how they came here or when. "Alice, Rose, how did you both come here and when did you arrive? Why didn't anyone tell me that you were coming to visit me?"

"We kind of wanted it to be a surprise, but why are you asking? Are you not pleased to see us?!" Rose gasped as a look of mock hurt cross her features and she puts her hand over her heart, but of course I wasn't fooled.

"Shut up, drama queen." I roll my eyes at her overly dramatic reaction. Rose and I laughed, but we felt like something is missing. Alice was being quiet in a very frightening way. "Ali, are you alright?" I put my hand on her shoulder to shake her lightly.

What happened next was something that scared the shit out of me, and when I use the term scared the shit out of me, it means that I almost pissed in my pants and Rose was no better. Let's try to clarify the situation for all of you. After I shook Alice's shoulder gently, she quickly turned her gaze to look at me and screamed the most high-pitched scream ever. I was sure that people who live in Antarctica must have heard her, but she didn't only scream, she practically tackled me to the floor.

Rose stood there staring at us, Alice was still screaming and a couple of incoherent words may have fallen out of her mouth and I lying under her with the most terrified and shocked expression. "OH…..MY…GOD…DATE…..SEX HAIR!" that was all Alice was saying as Rose dragged her up to save me.

Her screaming didn't stop though, it only stopped when Rose decided to slap her. I looked at her incredulously. "What? It was for her benefit and I was starting to lose the ability to hear." I didn't argue with her, really, because even my ears were still ringing painfully.

"Alice, are you okay?"

"You are so going to spill because you have hidden important things from us." Her calm and composed voice scared me even more than her screaming.

"I don't know what you are talking about." I try to keep my voice soft to avoid another screaming fit.

"You have a date with Mr. Officer Sex hair." At the mention of Alice's strange but true nickname for Edward and the word date, I blushed.

"Ha, you blushed; then it is true." She smirked.

"I thought you were joking." Rose said, her shock plain but she didn't sound upset or angry.

"I was half-joking" I said.

"I need details, give me details" Alice said her tone urgent. So I told them everything; how I met him and that this store is his grandmother's and that he asked me out the day after the opening of this store. "It seems that he is really sweet." Alice said after I finished. I looked at Rose trying to see her reaction. She looked thoughtful.

"Rose?"

"Look, Bella, truthfully I think this Edward really makes you happy but you have to remember that he works in the police department which makes dating him a risk," I really hoped she wouldn't say that, "but since he makes you happy then maybe you should take a chance, it's not like you are going to marry him or something. And this running is temporarily until Jasper proves that you are innocent."

"Then..?"

"Do what makes you happy Bella, but be careful," she said, smiling softly, "and tell that officer that your friends are not afraid of whopping his ass if he hurts you."

"Oh, group hug." Alice said as she circled us both. In that moment I felt like the luckiest woman on earth, I had great friends that will always no matter what support me and I had a date with Edward Cullen next Saturday**.**


	12. Important author note

**A\N: I know I haven't updated for a while but my beta-BlackTiger6- was editing the previous chapter, she really did a wonderful job, so I recommend you to re-read them again, nothing major changed, but I would prefer it if you re-read them.**

**She is now editing chapter eleven and I will post it as soon as she send it.**

**I want to thank angelari7 for her helpful advices and her reviews.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight.**

Chapter eleven

I was tapping my foot impatiently and nervously on the kitchen's floor. Leah was starting to get really annoyed, so if she cut off my head I wouldn't blame her at all. Other than the fact that I was supposed to be chopping people's head off. Hello? Queen Elizabeth here?

"Can you please stop doing that?" she asked as she took the chair opposite to mine.

"Believe me, I want to, but my foot is refusing." I sighed, grinning. She exhaled and got up from her sitting position and placed her hand on my knee gently.

"Why are you so nervous?" she inquired.

That –of course- was the million-dollar question. Why was I so nervous? Was it because I haven't been on a date since, I don't know… forever? Or was it because I was afraid that I am going slip up and mention something about the real reason I was in Forks? Or was it because the feelings that invades me whenever I was near Edward? I tried to ignore them so much but with what I was going to do I think ignoring them would be impossible.

"I don't know." I finally answered, biting my lip.

"Do you feel like that agreeing to go to a date with him is a mistake?" she asked, her tone so gentle, so comforting, a tone that a person only uses to comfort a dear friend.

"N-no," I stuttered, unsure. Was that the reason I was nervous? Did I really regret it? But in that moment of doubt, I remembered his voice, the hope and sincerity in it that made me cave in, even with the knowledge that this is a huge risk, and answered again this time more confident and sure, "No, I don't regret it."

"Then stop over thinking things and just enjoy." She said the words so easily, like it was the most obvious thing to do, "God knows that if I had a date with Edward Cullen that I would thoroughly enjoy every moment of it."

"Jealous much?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hell yeah!" she exclaimed, laughing, "Half the women of Forks want to be in your shoes right, now."

"But what about the other half?"

"The other half is the old women, his mother and his grandmother. Though I think that some of the old women wouldn't mind going to a date with him." She shuddered at the words. "Man. that would be super creepy…and gross."

We laughed together and Leah looked quite proud of herself that she had succeeded in making me relax a little. After our laughter had died down, the door bell rang. Leah looked at me and her eyes asked the question that her lips didn't mutter. 'Are you ready?' I simply nodded and took a deep breath.

"How about I go get the door?" she asked and headed to answer the door without waiting to get an answer from me. I guess she assumed the answer from looking at me. My ears turned super-sensitive with each step Leah took toward that door; I heard the sound of her flip-flops as she moved, the sound of her sweaty hands turning the knob, the squeak of the door protests for being opened. My heart stopped.

"Good evening, Edward," she greeted my much awaited guest.

"Good evening," he greeted. Even with the familiarity that I felt to his voice I wasn't immune to its irresistible, heart-warming and old-fashioned charm.

"Well, come in," she ushered him inside, "your date is waiting for you."

"Thank you." As soon as I heard their joint footsteps get closer to the kitchen, I stood from my comfortable chair. Finally after what seemed like a long time they arrived. It was really only four seconds, but I was extremely impatient and nervous.

"Hi," we both said at the same time and I laughed nervously.

"You look….stunning." Alice's smug expression flashed in front of my eyes upon hearing his words. She insisted after knowing that I had a date to go shopping, but I told her that it was too risky and for the second time in a row this mess that I was currently living in saved me from another horrid shopping trip, so she decided to go with Rose because they both already knew my taste in clothes. They bought me a simple midnight blue dress that came above my knees. Alice told me to wear black thighs and a coffee-colored coat along with flats the same color as the coat. I had thought that it might be too much, but Alice said that she would strangle me if I changed anything in the outfit and I knew better than to go against Alice.

"Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself." I said in a teasing voice, trying to kill the awkwardness and nerves.

"Well, thank you." he smirked. I always wondered how he could always switch between the nervous, shy man from minutes ago to the cocky, sexy man who was in front of me now. I thought he may have a multiply personality disorder, that would be something my luck could mange; first, I marry a thief and now I date a person who suffers from mental issues. Yeah, that sounds like me.

"Shouldn't you two head to the restaurant where you are going to have dinner?" Leah asked. When I looked at her I found her smirking and her arms were crossed over her chest. "Or are you waiting for me to take pictures?"

I rolled my eyes; she was enjoying embarrassing me to no end. "I think you're right," Edward agreed, looking at his wristwatch, "you don't want to be late for your surprise, do you, Bella?"

"No!" Have I ever mentioned how much I love surprises? No? Well, how rude of me. Edward was clearly enjoying the way his comment made me uncomfortable since his crooked smirk made an appearance again. I huffed and started walking toward the door. I exited to find Edward's silver Volvo waiting for us twinkling in the night. Ha, Rose, I thought, smirking, how about I tell you how it was?

The door opened, causing me to whip around. I sighed in relief when I saw it was Edward. He opened the passenger door for me and after making sure that I was settled comfortably in my seat, he went to the driver's seat. "Have fun, kids and don't do anything I would do!" Leah shouted after us as Edward pulled out of the driveway. Silence filled the car for an undistinguished amount of time, but we didn't dare to break it, it was so comfortable and natural. We just sat there and simply enjoyed it.

After a few moments of that enjoyable silence, I started to get anxious and impatient. I decided for almost the millionth time to beg Edward to tell me where we are going. "Aren't you going to tell me where we are going?"

"No, but how about I gave you a hint?" I nodded eagerly and waited for him to continue. "It's a place where people go to eat." I huffed and rolled my eyes.

"I should ditch you," I muttered, "What type of hint was that?" He laughed as I glared at him in annoyance; he really was enjoying torturing me far too much. The silence fill again and I used it this time to try to think of ways to force (yes, force) Edward to tell me where we are going. I was so lost in my evil plans that I didn't notice that the car had stopped. "Have we arrived to our mysterious destination?"

"Yes," he replied as he got out of the car and raced to open my door for me... ah! Always the gentleman.

when I got out, I found myself standing in front of a restaurant, an Italian restaurant to be more specific, la Bella Italia it was called. He opened the restaurant door for me and followed behind me. A creepy blond guy took our coats and asked if we had a reservation. "Yes, we have a reservation under Cullen." Edward answered in a cold tone, shooting a glare as cold as his voice at the blond guy. He leads us to a table and left after Edward shoot him another glare when he attempted to pull my chair for me. Even after he left and we were both comfortable in our seats, Edward stayed tense and he was frowning.

"Are you alright?" I asked concerned by Edward cold behavior, he usually was a very nice and carefree person.

_Or was it just an act to trap you?_ My inner paranoid voice said. I had recently become friends with it; it protected me and tried to warn me if it felt something suspicious about the people I interact with. I guess it felt guilty because of the Jacob fiasco.

"I..." he took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to relax."I just don't like men-creatures- like him."

"What do you mean like him?" I narrowed my eyes in alarm. "Men-creatures?"

"Men that look at women like they are toys or preys," he spat, "instead of looking at them like they are a human-being that have feelings and needs, and that need to be treated with proper manners."

I raised my eyebrows in amusement at his words. I couldn't believe these words had just fallen from a male's lips. Not that I was objecting, of course. The world needed to know how much more awesome we were than men. "My mother raised me to be a gentleman. She would have a heart attack if she heard that I mistreated a lady," he explained, a blush coloring his deathly pale cheeks.

"She raised you well." I approved and smiled, putting my hand on his. He shyly smiled back at me, and my heart jumped. Our 'moment' was interrupted by the waitress voice asking us if we wanted anything. We glanced at each other slyly before both of us ordered cokes and our food. I decided to order piccata with mushrooms and Edward decided to order the lasagna. My stomach growled, and my thumbs twiddled underneath the table nervously. Edward cleared his throat, and for the first time that evening he was the one who killed the silence. I was kind of glad that he did, because it was starting to get awkward and the nervousness that we both felt was starting to invade it.

"Tell me about yourself." he suggested, looking at me like I was the most intriguing person in the universe.

"What do you want to know?" Of course the famous blush made an appearance as he continued to stare at me.

"Anything, like… what's your favorite animal? I didn't catch that on... what was it? Twenty questions?" he asked, and I laughed.

"I dunno. I guess it depends on what I feel like."

"How are you feeling today, then?"

"I feel..." I paused for moment, thinking about my answer, "I feel nervous, excited and worried."

"Then the animal for all this is..." he prodded, seemingly amused by my answer. I narrowed my eyes at him playfully.

"Uh, badger... wait, no, a little tabby kitten." I answered, even though my answer was miles far from it.

"Really! I didn't expect that." he observed, leaning farther into his seat.

"Well, it's not exactly describing my feelings but I feel like I am kitten deprived," I grinned, and we both laughed. "What's your favorite... uh, least favorite color, then?"

"Red." he answered quickly, and I arched an eyebrow.

"Any specific reasons?"

"A lot," he replied, "Blood is red. Stop lights are red. My mom's face is going to be red when she learns I went on a date."

His last sentence caught my attention. "And why is that?"

"From squealing and absolute shock." He smiled, but his voice was so serious that he made me giggle, "You think I'm joking, but I am one hundred percent serious. Carlisle would probably have to CPR her. Oh God, I hope that I go blind before I see that."

"And why would she do that?" I laughed.

"Because she's been begging me for the last century or so to go on a date." he said as he laughed along with me. After the laughter died, his face expression that used to hold amusement and mischief as we laughed changed into an expression of thoughtfulness and curiosity.

"Why did you come to Forks, Bella?" his gaze was so intense and powerful, but not frightening as he stared at me. I fidgeted, before replying back.

"You know why, I told the entire town, well not me but Mrs. Newton did." I responded, trying to keep my voice confident and sure, but the narrowing of his eyes told me that I didn't succeed.

_Of course you wouldn't succeed; you won the freaking award for the worst liar in history of Earth!_ my inner voice yelled, _you should have just kept your damn mouth shut; now all we have to do is wait for Mr. Sexy Officer to take us to jail._

I was really starting to get annoyed at my inner voice. So yeah we were friends, but that didn't give her the right to make me feel mental. I silently told her to shut up before she made me do something that embarrasses us both. "Really?" he questioned "for some kind of a reason, I don't see you as the type of person that runs away without a fight."

Something inside me wanted to tell him the truth, but even I hadn't reached that level of stupidity. So I decided to tell him a part of the truth. "I was tired; I didn't want to fight anymore. It felt pointless, the damage was already done." The memories of the fights I had with my mother, my friends and basically everyone came back to life after my comment. Every word that I said was true in its way. I was really tired. I didn't posses the energy anymore or the will because I had fought so much when it came to Jacob, even though I was defending him. But now I found that I left nothing in me to defend myself. Edward grabbed my hands and squeezed them gently; his once intense gaze is now gentle and supportive.

"I am sure you'll regain your strength. Everybody must experience a moment of weakness in their lives. It helps us be stronger." The words he said were so heart-felt like he knew the feeling of weakness and loss.

"You seem to know what it feels like."

"Uh… yeah, I lost my father when I was a twelve. I never felt weaker in my life." He sighed, "His death was the thing that motivated me to become an investigator; it was so mysterious and strange. No one knew who killed him, and it's still unknown. I tried to investigate it myself but had no luck, whatsoever."

"How did he die?" I whispered softly, and he flinched at my question. I was about to tell him that he didn't have to tell me, and that I was sorry for bringing up such a painful memory, but he started speaking before I even opened my mouth.

"My dad was a lawyer. We used to live in Chicago; he had a law firm there. He was a respected man among everyone; neighbors, colleagues, even clients. He had very few enemies which made his murder not only a tragedy but also a surprise that confused everyone. The police interrogated everybody... even mom but they found nothing. They asked if there was any important case that my father has been working on lately but there was no answer. The most confusing thing is that it felt as if they knew something but they were afraid to talk, knowing that they might -would- end up having the same fate as my father. I didn't specifically know the details of his death until we were at the funeral. I was sitting alone and my mom was talking to some people who wished to give her their condolences, when I heard two men talking, their words still ring in my ears whenever I remember that day.

_'Have you heard about the condition the police found the body in?' the first man asked._

_'Oh, yeah, they say that his tongue and hands were missing and there was several bullets stuck in his skull.' The second man replied._

_'I heard that they found marks of a rope around his neck, I think he committed suicide.' The first man said confidently, he was clearly proud of himself for solving this mystery._

_'No way, man, Charles was insane about Esmé and Edward. He loved them to death.' The second man said._

_'Maybe, no one knows' the first man said and for the first time that he opened his mouth to speak he said something true._

We stayed for a couple of months in Chicago until, something that seemed to be the last straw for my mom happened. Adam, my father's best friend and partner was murdered, but in a less brutal way than my father. Everyone automatically connected his murder to my father's. She decided that Chicago was no longer a safe place, but she didn't know where to take us. That was until grandma offered to let us stay with her in Forks. A few years later, mom remarried to a great man, Carlisle Cullen; he is a doctor at Forks hospital. He adopted me and the rest is history."

"Oh, wow," I managed, still trying to absorb everything that he said. And you thought that your life was hard? "You went through a lot, but you are strong."

"I told you, pain is meant to make us stronger not weaker." He didn't say anything as the waitress has brought our dinner, we ate in silence for a few minutes, but I was trying to think of a way to lighten the mood, until I got an idea.

"Edward?"

"Yesh?" he swallowed his food and cleared his throat, "I mean 'yes?'"

"If you hadn't become an investigator in the police, what would you have liked to be?" I asked, curious.

"You'll laugh if I tell you." He responded, narrowing his eyes playfully.

"No, I won't." he raised an eyebrow at me, "try me."

"I wanted to be a… musician." I tried to keep the laughing in by biting my bottom lip, but it didn't work since a giggle managed to escape.

"See, I told you." He accused.

"I am sorry, I truly couldn't help it. It was just..." I tried to think of a way to put what I was thinking in words, "unexpected. I mean, you work with the police, that must be a rough work and sometimes dangerous..."

"Dangerous? In Forks?" he cut me off, laughing.

"Ugh, you know what I mean, it is just so different. An investigator and a musician are a lot different from each other."

"I will prove you wrong, one day I am going to make you hear me playing on the piano and let's see if you will change your mind." He promised, with determination in his voice. I was about to tell him I would love to see that but was stopped by the ringing of my cell phone, Alice's number flashed across the screen.

I tried to ignore her but the phone almost kept ringing non-stop. "I'm sorry, I have to take this." I looked apologetically at Edward.

"No problem, go ahead." He smiled at me.

"Alice?" I asked as I answered the continuous ringing of my cell phone.

"B... Be... b-Bella... I... you... h-h-have to..." I seemed that the signal was weak wherever Alice was, because I thought that she was crying.

"Alice, honey, I can't hear you. Is everything alright?" though I asked that question, I already knew the answer deep down in me but refused to believe it until I heard her mutter it.

"B-Bella, you h…h-have to k-know…J…" I was certain this time that she was crying, because the signal was starting to get better, judging by the way her voice sounded clearer, but her words were still breaking.

"Alice, please, calm down, I can't understand you" I said desperately.

There was silence on the other line during which I heard her crying and sniffling and trying to calm herself by breathing. "B-Bella?" she asked her voice hoarse from crying.

"I'm here, Alice. Are you calm now?" I asked, concerned and worried.

"As calm as I could ever be given the situation." she sniffed, voice still breaking. I was so afraid to ask her what was wrong, because if the way she was reacting gave me any clue, the answer was things were far away from alright.

"What's wrong?" I asked hesitantly, worry flooding over me. Edward watched from the side, ignored.

She sobbed and sniffled again before answering me, her voice breaking like before " it…it's J-J-Jasper."

**A\N: hahaha (evil laugh) I know, I know. you all hate me right now. Sorry! but what do you think is wrong with Jasper?**

**thank you for reading, and please Review your suggestions.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I am really so, so incredibly sorry that I hadn't updated the chapter earlier, and that was due to a lot of reasons the first was that I was busy with my sister's wedding and school. My Beta was busy, also, with her school and such and couldn't edit the chapter earlier. Once again, I am terribly sorry.**

**Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own twilight.**

Chapter twelve

I tried to ask Alice to explain, but instead of the call getting clearer, it became worse. I tried calling her again, but had no luck whatsoever. Edward was watching me patiently, but the worry and confuzzlement was evident in his eyes.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I am sorry, I think I have to go home, I am so sorry," I excused as I stood up and practically ran to the hostess to give me my coat. I was very much aware of Edward's frantic steps behind me.

"Bella, wait!" Edward called breathlessly as he ran after me. I stopped and turned to look at him. "What's wrong? Why are you running?"

"I have to go home. Now. I think something bad happened." I explained, I was practically bouncing in my place, waiting for him to stop interrogating me so I can go home and call Alice, or ask Leah. Maybe she knew what the heck is wrong with Jasper.

"Will you at least let me drive you? It would be faster than if you took a taxi." I pondered his suggestion for a few seconds then decided that he is probably right. I guess he saw my acceptation of his offer on my face, as he stepped closer and tugged on my forearm silently directing me to his car.

I buckled my seatbelt hurriedly as Edward started the car and sped toward my house in breakneck speed. Even though I was frightened that we could crash, but my worry and concern for Jasper and Alice shadowed any other emotion; such as remorse, because I definitely just ruined what could have been a wonderful date due to my fucked-up life.

"Calm down, Bella." I didn't realize I was bouncing in my seat until Edward placed his hand on right knee to calm me down.

"I am sorry, I … I am just very anxious." I took a deep breath to steady my voice, "this person that may be in danger or trouble is a dear friend of mine, practically family."

"I am sure everything is okay, you just need to calm down." He reassured me firmly. I sighed and nodded my head reluctantly.

After a couple of much-needed deep breaths, we arrived. I was out of my seat in less than half a second after Edward parked his car. I was about to unlock the door with my extra key that Leah give me for when she was in work or too lazy to move her butt ( her words not mine) when I felt a large hand grasping my wrist. My breath hitched when I turned and saw how close Edward was, I could feel the warmth of his body assaulting me wave after wave.

"Bella, even though our date has been cut short, I want to tell you that I had never had such a nice time only talking to someone," he said sincerity shinning in his forest-green eyes, "and I really hope that everything is alright, but if you need anything, don't ever hesitate to call me."

He put a piece of paper in my palm, no doubt containing his number, and closed my palm around it.

"Have a goodnight, Bella." He kissed my cheek gently as he whispered these words; I stared at his retreated figure as he got in his car and took off. A couple of minutes passed as I stood on the porch gaping like an idiot. I could only thank God that Edward was long gone in his way home to see my embarrassing reaction to his simple cheek kiss and proximity. I shook my head trying to achieve a clear mind that didn't focus on Edward but the soon-to-be disaster.

"Leah!" I shouted, "Are you here?"

"Ssh!" Leah hissed from behind me. I yelped and turned to glare at her.

"What was that for?" I demanded.

"You were going to wake the pixie up; I did the impossible to get her to sleep and quiet crying." She said.

"Alice!" I exclaimed "Alice is here?"

"Yes." She answered shortly.

"Did you know what was wrong with her? Why was she crying?"

"No, unfortunately," she frowned, "but she kept repeating Jasper's name and your name a lot. I didn't catch anything else."

"When did she come here?" I asked.

"About ten-fifteen minutes ago." She replied thoughtfully, "God, she was a mess when she arrived."

"Where is she now?"

"I took her to your room; I figured that you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not, I would have kicked your useless behind if you didn't."

"I would love to see your royal feet try." She snorted.

I ignored her and made my way up the stairs, heading toward my room where Alice now rested. I tried to be as quiet as someone clumsy like me can, but I guess I failed judging by the shift of Alice's body in my direction.

"Bella? Is that you?" her voice was hoarse and raspy from lack of usage and crying.

"Yes, honey. Go back to sleep; you need your rest." I ordered softly.

"B-Bella…Jaspe-r-r-" her voice broke as she started sobbing.

I quickly went over to her and hugged her small frame as tightly as I could, but she continued to sob hysterically. I whispered comforting words in her ears, trying to calm her and send her back to her slumber; she eventually did.

I placed her head back on the pillow and tip-toed my way toward the bathroom, taking my pajamas and toiletries with me. I was half-way to the bathroom when my phone started ringing. To say that I was shocked to find Jasper's number flashing on my cell phone screen is an underestimation, the underestimation of the freaking year.

"Jasper?" I asked, still disbelieving. I had thought that the guy was dead by the way Alice was acting.

"Hello, Bella." his voice sounded tired and full of tension and stress.

"Um, hi, Jasper. Everything's alright?" I asked. Maybe he knew the reason behind Alice's bizarre behavior. Maybe he was the one who sent her here and he's now calling to tell me that her life is in danger or something. Or that the police are suddenly after her, too.

"Yeah, everything is...fine, just fine." He replied dryly.

"It doesn't sound like that."

"Has Alice called you, Bella?" he sighed.

"No, is something wrong with her?" I decided to play naïve and wait to see where he is going with this conversation.

"No," he answered quickly, "well, at least I hope so."

"What do you mean by ' at least I hope so' isn't she with you?" I feigned surprise, hoping that he would tell me the reason for all this already.

He sighed heavily. "No, she isn't with me. I can't seem to find her. I am so worried and afraid that something might have happened to her, I… I…" his words were broken by a sob. It was so strange for me to hear Jasper cry, he was always the calm, collected and comforting person among us. And I knew Jasper very well by now to know that very few things could shake him, apparently one of these things is Alice.

"Calm down, Jazz, and tell me exactly what happened before she left? Were you two fighting?"

"Not at all, we were at home. I was working in my office while Alice was watching TV in the living room. After a while she came to tell me that she was hungry and wanted Chinese but didn't want to order delivery because the delivery guy is slow and always delivered the food cold so I offered to go get the food myself. I went to get the food but when I came back she wasn't there. Her clothes were scattered everywhere like she was in a hurry to get out of the house."

"Did you try calling her?"

"I tried, Bella. God, I tried." He groaned tiredly, "and every time I did it went straight to voicemail."

"Maybe she went to Rose, or her parents?" I suggested.

"I called her parents first as you know that Alice always goes to her mother when she's upset. They told me she wasn't with them and that she didn't even call them today. I got nothing from this call except having the pleasure of hearing Alice's dad threatening me to kiss my balls goodbye if I didn't find Alice." he laughed humorlessly and continued, "I called Rose after that, but the call was as fruitless as the one with her parents. She got pissed and kept grilling the fuck out of me and made me promise to call her if I found anything but I don't think that I would have that chance because she's been calling me every ten minutes."

He sounded so frustrated; it was probably why he was cursing because Jasper wasn't a person that curses were like gum in their mouths especially if he's talking to a lady.

"I even called your Dad, Bella, but got nothing. You were my last hope, I thought that maybe she was with you or that she even called you." He paused trying to collect himself, "I am so worried, Bella, I don't know what to do. I never felt so lost."

I didn't know what to tell him, how to comfort him. What he just told me only added to my already existing confuzzlement. Why did Alice leave Jasper without any explanation? That wasn't something I imagined Alice could do. She always told Jasper everything and vice versa. And why is she reacting as if Jasper died?

"I think you should go rest for now. Who knows what the morning sun could bring?" I said softly.

"Always the philosopher, Bella." He chuckled.

"Rest now, Jasper, I'm sure Alice is just angry or something. Give her time to cool down."

"Maybe you are right," he admitted, defeated, knowing that his chance for talking or finding Alice tonight was shot out of the window. "Thanks, Bella, and I am terribly sorry for disturbing your night."

"Believe me, you didn't disturb my night." _Alice beat you to it_, "it was nice hearing your voice, Jasper even if the news weren't so pleasant." _It was nice knowing you're not dead, too._

"Likewise." he replied.

We said our goodnights to each other and the call ended leaving me with a headache from all the questions and possibilities that kept running through my head, and I was certain that all the answers I sought were with the sleeping pixie in my room occupying my bed.

I made my way to the bathroom. As soon as I got in and looked the door, I stripped of my clothes and stepped into the shower. I stayed in there until the hot water turned cold, trying to wash everything from my brain, so that I could be somehow relaxed enough to sleep.

Leah greeted me outside the bathroom with a devilish smirk and a steaming cup of my favorite herbal tea; I took the drink from her outstretched hand and eagerly took a sip while keeping my eyes on her suspiciously.

"What's with the evil face?" I asked after a minute.

"Nothing." she replied while swinging on her back and forth like an innocent child. "I was just thinking about you and a certain bronze-haired investigator."

She wrung her eyebrows suggestively at me and started making kissing faces, I just rolled my eyes and waited until she finished her imaginary make-out session with the air.

"Are you finished?" I inquired dryly, "Because I would like to go to my room and sleep."

"Oh c'mon, Bella, don't be so mean. Just give me bone tiny detail like was he nice? Where did he take you?" she whined childishly, and the only thing missing was for her to start stomping her feet and she would complete the process of turning into a five year old girl.

"No," I laughed as she pouted.

"Please? Pretty please, just one thing?" I was surprised at her girly behavior, which was very out of character.

"Who are you? And what did you do to Leah?" I asked disbelievingly while laughing.

"Ha ha ha, very funny, Bella." She sighed, "You know what? You are the cruelest person that I have ever known. You had a date with Edward Cullen and you are refusing to share information with your housemate."

"Housemate?! Is that even a word?" I laughed at her absurdity.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Housemate is the same like roommate but instead of sharing an apartment we share a house."

"Goodnight, Leah, see you in the morning." I said with finality and strolled past her.

"Goodnight." She said as she also retreated to her room, also.

I laughed silently as I grabbed an extra pillow and a blanket from the cabinet and tip-toed my way to the room. I decided against sharing a bed with Alice even though there was enough space on the bed, trying to avoid another round of sobbing and moaning Jasper's name miserably. So I camped on the floor.

Thousands of millions of questions and possibilities swirled around in my head. All of them were possible and impossible at the same time. Was Jasper cheating on Alice? I kicked that thought on the butt as soon as it crossed my mind, this was impossible: Jasper practically worshiped Alice. Telling me that Jasper has cheated on Alice is like telling me that the sun rises from the west. Maybe Alice found out Jasper was a mob boss? That question almost made me laugh out loud, but I bit my lips to hold it in.

I had to stop watching TV with Leah.

Question after question, idea after idea, they all eventually lulled me to sleep. Images of everything that had happened tonight swirled before my eyelids as the first stage of sleep greeted me. You know that part where you are half-asleep half-awake, the part where everything is possible, nothing is real and nothing is imaginary.

I woke up sweating bullets and feeling that had I lost the ability to sleep. I got up from my make-shift bed and tip-toed my way outside the room and to the bathroom.

Leah wasn't awake yet and probably won't wake up for an extra hour. I decided to cook breakfast trying to avoid thinking of my still very existent thirst for answers.

There weren't many ingredients to work with for breakfast; only some eggs, a mix of pancakes and some bacon. There wasn't even any juice or milk. a trip to the grocery store was now required.

"Whoa, what's all this food? Have we opened a B&B?" Leah sleepy voice startled me, making me jump.

"All this food!" I exclaimed-snapped, "We don't even have milk, and the pancakes taste horrible. And that's all because someone forgot to go grocery shopping!"

Leah stared at me wide-eyed and her mouth slack open from surprise.

"Wow, someone is PMS'ing." She observed as she grabbed her plate

We didn't speak to each other after her comment at my earlier out-burst, each one of us deep in thought. Then Leah killed the silence by asking the only question that I seemed to find for it no answer.

"Hmmm, why do you think your pixie of a friend is here? You think Jasper sent her?" she paused then answered herself, "No, I don't think so. She was crying and sobbing his name yesterday like the guy had died or something. Maybe… I mean… do you think something bad happened to him?"

"Nothing happened to Jasper, Leah. He's absolutely fine. He called me yesterday after Alice fell asleep again."

"Did he know that Alice is here?" she asked.

"No, he said that she left without telling him and that he couldn't find her. I didn't tell him she's here." I said thoughtfully.

"Good thinking." She nodded.

"You never told me how come you and Jasper become friends?" I wandered.

"I was in a dark place; I almost lost myself and the people I love, but Jasper pulled me out of that place. He used to be my brother's friend and colleague when he was studying law in Washington." She said "hey, don't give me that look. Our relationship was and is and will always be platonic. He just understood what I was suffering from and instead of criticizing me, he advised me without judging."

"He was always a kind and an understanding person." I smiled, and she nodded in agreement

"But did you trust him enough to let him bring me here to hide in your house?" I asked, frowning, "what if I was some kind of a serial-killer?"

She laughed breathlessly. "You? A serial killer?" she snorted "unless people could die from being exposed to spoiled brats."

"Ha, ha," I laughed dryly.

"But yes, I trusted Jasper and I also trusted that you are really innocent like he said and even if he didn't, it was obvious."

I was about to ask her why when a low whimper of my name interrupted me and made us both whirl our heads around to glimpse the person who made the sound. The person who whimpered was descending the stairs right now, and was heading to the living room. Leah and I were silent. Leah had that strange expression that was a mixture of curiosity, concern and anticipation, and I guess that mine was almost the same as hers. But mine held something that her expression lacked - and that was a faint hint of fear.

That's why I always hated surprises: it made me feel vulnerable and unprepared. The faint voice called me again, but louder this time, it shook both me and Leah from our statue-like state.

"Come on, we can't stand here all day," Leah sighed, though she sounded like she wished to. I took a deep breath and started making my way toward the living room. My legs and feet felt so heavy right now. I felt like I was dragging tons and tons of iron. Finally, finally, after what felt like a journey that lasted for days and weeks, even though it was merely thirty seconds, I reached the living room with Leah following behind me silently.

The sight that greeted us was as following; the living room looked exactly like how we left it yesterday, filled with used tissues and pillows that Leah told me Alice had used. A cup of water, and on the used couch that I now became familiar with sat a small creäture hugging herself. Her eyes were puffy and red, marks of last night's tears still staining her cheeks.

"Alice, hon, how is you, this morning?" I said softly, as not to startle her.

"Fine," she said emotionlessly, coldly. I had such a hard time believing that Alice was the one speaking in that tone. An incredibly awkward silence fill and I couldn't seriously know how to break it. Should I approach the subject slowly, give her a hint maybe? Or should I just ask her bluntly?

I didn't have time to think about this more thoroughly; because suddenly I heard Alice groan and said, "This is so hard, I don't know how to tell you this. I don't know where to start."

"Start from the beginning." It was Leah, not me, who said that, and though curiosity was the foremost emotion in her tone sympathy and compassion were there, too.

"Jasper and I were at home. He was sitting in his office and I was sitting outside in the living room watching TV and flipping through pages of my favorite fashion magazine. I was starting to get hungry and I didn't feel like cooking, so I went to Jasper and asked him to go get us some Chinese himself; because the delivery guy was so slow, and always brings the food cold." She paused and sniffed then continued," after Jasper went to get the food, I returned to my position on the couch in the living room, but after a couple of minutes, I discovered that I forgot my magazine on Jasper's office. I went to retrieve the magazine, but while doing so a paper from a file fell. It was a hotel receipt for the past and the next week. The receipt was booked by Jasper but the person that was staying in the hotel was a woman. I couldn't help it and I couldn't wait for Jasper to come home, so he could explain, I pulled the file that the paper fell from and started digging in its papers. I found a lot of things, Bella, ID, plane tickets from Rome to N.Y.C, and even some photos. I couldn't believe it, I was so shocked and I couldn't face Jasper, so I ran."

"Oh My God, I can't believe my own ears, are you saying that Jasper cheated on you?" I asked shocked and disbelieving.

She shook her head and said something that confused me to no point, "No, Bella, he cheated on you."

"What?" I wasn't sure I heard her properly.

"The woman I was talking about is Jessica." She said slowly trying not to overwhelm me.

Well that's too late, my inner voice yelled. "Jessica who?" I asked, though I already knew who she was talking about, but my mind still wanted to live in denial for a couple extra minutes.

"Jessica Stanly." She clarified.

I didn't mutter a word for a while too shocked to use my tongue, and then I did what was the only reasonably thing to go in this situation; I laughed hysterically.

"Oh, I get it Jasper is with Jessica and Jacob, that's totally cool with me I don't mind." I said as I laughed, I probably looked mental.

Leah and Alice were both staring at me with the same careful, guarded and sympathetic expressions.

"Bella, I think you need to sit down." Leah said and put a hand on my shoulder to guide me but I shook it off violently and made her flinch.

"Don't touch me; you must be with them, too. Jasper must have sent me to you to keep an eye on me," I snapped angrily.

"Bella, Leah doesn't know anything about this," Alice defended Leah confidently.

"And of course, you would know, because, and like we all know, you are the queen of the mafia along side with your king." I yelled sarcastically, "tell me why you are really here, huh? And don't give me I am your best friend crap. This shit is getting old. Did Jasper decide to give you a small share from the money, huh? Answer me, God damn it."

Alice winced at my harsh words, but didn't reply. "You don't have to say such things, it's not her fault. She wouldn't be here if that was the case." Leah soothed calmly, though I could tell that she was starting to get angry.

"I want her out of my sight. I want you to get out of here." I snarled, pointing at Alice.

Alice's eyes were filled with tears and remorse. Good, I thought to myself. Though a small part of me was saying that she was my best friend and that I shouldn't treat her like that, I couldn't trust anyone anymore.

"Alice is not putting one foot out of that door." Leah said stubbornly. Her tone and the look in her eyes were enough reassurance for me that her words were one hundred percent true.

"Fine," I huffed and bolted to my room to take my purse. When I passed the living room again in my way to the door, they were both staring at me with confused expressions but with every step I took toward the door, understanding began to replace that confusion. And as I got out of the front door and slammed it, I heard the frantic calling of my name and the question about where I was going. But, to speak truthfully, I honestly didn't know.

**A/N: what do you think? Did you expect that or something else? **

**I want to thank everyone who reviewed: yoshii, MaryMary123, Pandorazul and a guest. **

**I will try to update as soon as possible. Hope you enjoyed reading the chapter and PLEASE REVIEW.**


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